School Board OKs tax cut

Palm Beach County residents will get a break on their school property taxes this year, while teachers will get at least a small pay raise.

The School Board gave tentative approval to its $2.4 billion budget and approved the new tax rate Wednesday.

Homeowners will pay $707 for every $100,000 in taxable value, about $44 less than last year. The owner of a house valued at $225,000 with a homestead exemption will pay about $77 less in property taxes.

For the most part, property tax rates are determined by the state, and the district has no authority to charge more without voter approval.

The district is asking residents for more tax money this year, but it’s in the form of sales tax. County voters will decide if they want to approve an extra penny sales tax, with half going to schools and half going to county government and cities. The school district wants to use the money mostly to renovate schools.

The budget includes a reserve for employees to receive a 1.7 percent raise, which Pahokee Middle-Senior High teacher Gordon Longhofer called meager. Last year, teachers received a 3 percent raise.

“Such a reserve is completely inadequate to compensate employees, especially teachers, for their work in helping Palm Beach County once again be the highest-performing urban district in Florida,” said Longhofer, who is on the board of directors for the Classroom Teachers Association.

School Board member Frank Barbieri agreed that more money is needed.

“No one wants to work here because the cost of living is so much higher than other places,” he said. “It’s important not just to reward teachers and it’s incumbent on us attracting new teachers.”

Superintendent Robert Avossa said the 1.7 percent is “just a starting point,” and he will look for more money to designate for raises. “We know that’s a priority,” he said. The exact amount will have to be negotiated with the teachers’ union. The School Board will give final approval to the budget in September.