ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – “When you’re a school district as large as ours, it is really a challenge to try and keep up with just the renovation and refurbishment needs of our facilities,” said Rory Salimbene, chief facilities officer for Orange County Public schools.
Salimbene took News 6 inside the district’s oldest school, Howard Middle School. The building is 97 years old and its age shows. Right now, the school is getting some much-needed upgrades, including new lighting, seating and finishes in the auditorium.
Upstairs, crews are building new floors, a new ceiling and are patching, repairing and painting the walls. They are also updating the old electric wiring and 22-year-old air conditioning.
“So much of what’s needed for a school, you can’t see it,” Salimbene said. He told us the biggest obstacle toward maintaining schools is money.
News 6 uncovered more than $890 million worth of Orange County school maintenance projects could go unfunded.
Those projects, like the one at Howard Middle, are paid for by a half-cent sales tax approved by voters. The same is true in other Central Florida districts, like Brevard County and Seminole County, however, Orange County’s tax is set to expire late next year. This November, it could be up to voters to approve it again.
Marion County Schools is facing a similar situation. The district’s superintendent is proposing a half-cent sales tax to help with its maintenance costs. Marion County Schools has not received any sales tax revenue in 15 years. The district is turning to voters to help make up the $840 million it needs.
Orange County School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs called the situation alarming.
“This is not a sustainable way to maintain and fund schools across the state, to rely on the citizens each time to pass it,” Jacobs said.
A News 6 investigation found out some of the school maintenance money used to come from fees from telephone landlines but when those went away, so did the money. Meantime, lottery dollars now mostly fund secondary education and Bright Futures scholarships.
During a recent school board workshop, Jacobs proposed advocating for the state to pay for school maintenance. News 6 reached out to the Florida Department of Education to see if it would consider this. The agency gave us this statement in an email:
The Florida Department of Education shares your concern for the health, safety and welfare of public school students. In accordance with section (s.) 4(b) of Article IX, Florida Constitution and s. 1001.32, Florida Statutes (F.S.), Florida public school boards are autonomous governmental units that operate, control and supervise all public schools within their respective districts. In addition, s. 1001.42, F.S., requires each local school board to identify its facility needs and provide for the proper maintenance and upkeep of its school facilities. Although staff from the Florida Department of Education are available to provide technical assistance to school districts upon request, it does not administer the day-to-day operation of school facilities. Because the construction and maintenance of facilities are a responsibility of each school district, it follows that the vast majority of funding for these projects are also a local responsibility.
Nathalia Medina, Press Secretary for Florida Department of Education
Orange County Public Schools just released a survey,which asks the community its input on the school district’s facilities. Once leaders go through the responses, they are expected to start working on the half-cent sales tax proposal. It is up to Orange County Commissioners to decide whether voters see that proposal on the November ballot.
“You just can’t do it without money,” Salimbene said.
See News 6′s investigation into Marion County school maintenance issues.