Last week’s special school board meeting wasn’t easy for anyone involved. Escambia County School Superintendent Keith Leonard knows that proposing a tax increase is never popular, but the District has reached a critical juncture that demands tough decisions.
Background: The school board voted to approve increasing the capital outlay portion of the millage rate to 1.5 mil, a 15.4% increase. The breakdown is:
Capital Outlay: 1.5
Discretionary Operating: 0.748
Subtotal – Local: 2.248
Plus State millage: 3.111
Total: 5.359 See: Tax Breakdown
This decision comes as the District grapples with a devastating enrollment decline of 4,200 students over the past five years, primarily attributed to Florida’s expanding school voucher programs. Since state funding flows through the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) based on enrollment—what Leonard calls “cheeks in seats”—fewer students directly translates to significantly less money from Tallahassee.
- State Rep. Michelle Salzman asked the state to investigate the increase. She accused the Escambia County School Board of moving in the opposite direction of her work “in Tallahassee to cut taxes and ease the burden on hardworking families.” Salzman encouraged the District to “join us in prioritizing responsible budgeting and transparency.”
Superintendent Leonard believes the School District is being responsible and transparent.
Rising Costs, Shrinking Resources
The District’s operational expenses have continued climbing. Leonard paints a clear picture of daily realities: 250 buses rolling through Escambia County roads, breakfast and lunch programs feeding thousands of students, maintaining air conditioning and heating systems across dozens of schools, and most critically, retaining qualified teachers for 36,000 students.
- “It’s not free,” Leonard explains simply. Bus replacements follow a careful 20-year cycle, with about 20 new vehicles needed annually. Diesel fuel, electricity, and transportation costs show no signs of decreasing.
The Poverty Challenge
Perhaps Rep. Salzman has forgotten the economic reality facing Escambia’s students. According to state data, 78% qualify for free or reduced lunch, marking them as economically disadvantaged. This statistic underscores why inner-city schools struggle despite significant investments and community partnerships.
“And yet a C.A. Weis, there’s several of our schools that you could use as examples, they continue to find a way to reach those students and elevate them to where they can be successful when we get them to that 13th year, and they become a citizen here in Escambia County, which is critical,” Leonard said.
- “We are an economic driver for this entire county, and we’ve got to make certain that we’re doing the things that we can that are within our means to make certain we’re meeting that threshold.”
Staying Competitive
The proposed millage increase will fund essential infrastructure improvements, including new auditoriums at Escambia High School and other facilities, plus classroom retrofitting projects. Even with the increase, Escambia County’s total millage rate will remain below neighboring counties to the east, where districts have been levying 1.5 mils for capital outlay for years.
- Leonard emphasizes that 60 of Florida’s 67 school districts are already at the 1.5 mill level, highlighting how widespread these funding pressures have become.
A Community Investment
For Leonard, the choice is clear: invest now in education infrastructure and teacher retention, or risk falling further behind in a competitive landscape that includes both neighboring public districts and private schools.
- “I think the total mils of 5.359 is a great investment for Escambia County as a whole,” Leonard said.
“I’m very blessed to work with the two superintendents in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa, but we also are in competition with everyone, whether it’s a private school or whether it’s Santa Rosa County. We talked the other day about perception and perspective. You’ve got to put all of those in check and do what’s best for those kids that are in your school, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
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