CLAY COUNTY, Fla — Will you vote 'yes' or 'no'?
Clay County voters are deciding whether to keep paying a property tax that funds new safety expenses for schools. The tax was first passed by voters in 2018 after the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to pay for state-mandated security improvements to schools.
Orange Park High School is one of the places you can most easily see the tax dollars being put to use, according to school district officials. At the front of the school there's construction where officials say the school's single point of entry is being worked on. That's a safety feature they say didn't exist before the tax.
The first thing to know about the one mill ad valorem tax, or property tax, in Clay County: You're voting on its continuation, not an additional tax on top of it.
"With the events of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the state has mandated that we have an armed guardian or a school resource officer in every school," said Bryce Ellis, assistant superintendent of operations for the Clay County School District.
Ellis says this wasn't the case in all 42 schools before. She says thanks to the tax, the district has hardened schools with school resource officers, single points of entry, fencing, cameras and extended PA systems.
"If you go to our schools now, I hope that you find it's difficult to get into," she said. "There's a lot of fencing that will drive you to the front office and you'll be buzzed into the front office as single point of entry. We have a lot of cameras at our schools now."
Ellis says the district has been receiving about $15 million a year from the tax. If they lose it they're looking at a $60 million deficit over the four years that would most likely mean cuts to student programs and paychecks.
Ellis says the tax needs to be used to maintain the security measures. She says they also want to increase lighting on campuses.
"We will continue with the camera upgrades, the fencing, nothing is maintenance free," Ellis said. "So we have to continue to give our kids the best."
Read frequently asked questions on the Clay County School District's website here.