GUEST EDITORIAL: Don’t mess with the success of our local school tax vote

As the president of the nonpartisan political committee Citizens For Better Schools, I led the community effort to pass the Sarasota County school tax referendum in 2018 and 2014.

CBS is the grass-roots citizen’s organization that started the referendum and is responsible for supporting passage every four years. In 2010, I was in charge of fundraising for the countywide campaign, and since then I have volunteered many hundreds of hours in working to pass the referendum, which is so critical to the economic strength of our community.

In doing so, I’ve worked closely with the district and various superintendents and board members, conducted polling and worked with political consultants. I’ve also served for more than a decade on the Financial Advisory Committee, where business people advise the board on matters of the budget and act as community watchdogs for referendum spending.

There are very few people more knowledgeable about passing the referendum than I am. And the thought of moving it to this November’s ballot scares the hell out of me.

First, the referendum really could lose. A vote to maintain a property tax for any reason — however necessary — in a time of national crisis when families and business across the county are struggling for their very survival, is unwise. In extraordinary times voters may act in extraordinary ways.

Many experts believe that by July the unemployment rate may be as high as 25% and we have no idea whether our economy, so dependent on tourism and travel, will be properly functioning in the fourth quarter. Add to that the nearly constant fomenting of controversy and division by the change-wing of our School Board, by the dysfunctional departed superintendent, and the regular foment by the leadership of the teacher’s union, and the voters might decide a rebuke is in order.

Now the truth is that our district is still among the very best in the state by nearly any measure, as the metrics of student achievement have remained remarkably stable. The aforementioned dysfunction, however, would present a formidable challenge and threaten the approximately $55 million every year that goes to support the extra 30 minutes of the school day, while maintaining high teacher pay, arts programs and everything else the referendum dollars make possible.

Second, it’s simply too late to change the date. The referendum doesn’t pass itself. CBS raises about $150,000 from the community to put on a professional countywide campaign every four years that takes nearly a year of lead time to produce. Polling, fundraising, organizing, speaking and a plethora of other campaign logistics take lead time. I can tell you that I could not do what needs to be done properly in the approximately five months left before the election.

Third, the savings claimed are Illusory. The cost of the election would be approximately $350,000 to raise approximately $220,000,000 — not an unreasonable return. More importantly, if the election were moved to the more crowded November ballot with local, Congressional and presidential races fighting for attention, I would need to raise at least $300,000 to $350,000 to reach a much larger voter pool. Setting aside that I do not believe I can raise that much money to pass a school tax here, that same money is coming from the community — just different pockets. There is no savings.

Finally, the referendum will always be vulnerable on a November ballot. Every cycle, we have a large segment of our community oppose the referendum because they are simply against any tax no matter how beneficial and necessary it is -- and the last election was no different.

While those folks now work largely behind the scenes because it has rightly become politically difficult to openly oppose the tax, the opposition is real and has powerful friends.

However, it’s not an accident that the referendum pass rate has climbed steadily from 63% to nearly 80% three years ago. A sustained, communitywide grass roots effort over many years, and success in the classroom lead by our heroic teachers, are the reasons our community has gotten behind this effort. The current model for passing the referendum has been wildly successful.

I argue that the prudent and conservative action is not to change the election. Our children’s education — as well as the economic health of our community — depends on it.

Sarasota attorney Daniel J. DeLeo is president of Citizens For Better Schools in Sarasota County.