On Monday September 12 th the Martin County School Board followed the lead of the County Commission by voting not to pursue their anticipated half-cent sales tax increase. We were pleased to see this, but are also very concerned about the reasoning behind the Board’s decision. Instead of a sales tax increase, which would have to be justified and submitted to the voters for approval, the Board decided to take out a $40 million dollar Certificate of Participation (COP) loan to build the new Cove Road middle school. Since this is essentially a lease-to-own agreement it can only be used for new construction, but it will allow the Board to reallocate assets to cover improvements needed at existing schools. Using the COP will also allow the Board to obtain the funds much earlier than a sales tax or bond.

This was touted in the media as “… residents will not have to pay for new public schools or for improvements at older schools.” Pardon our skepticism, but we do not believe in “free lunches”, even within the school system. COPs are Loans, which by definition must be repaid, and there is only one real source of “income” for the School Board, the County’s taxpayers. In fact, the COP repayment will start immediately, requiring use of advalorum taxes, which will also immediately limit the funds available for maintaining the existing system. The Board’s own figures indicate that using the COP will nearly double the actual cost of Cove Road Middle School, if it is not repaid early via some other taxing option. One possibility being anticipated by the Board is currently proposed State legislation that will allow them to impose additional County sales taxes without having to get voter approval.

We are, and always have been, supporters of the Martin County school system. In general it is doing an admirable job. We are justifiably proud of the schools’ well-educated students, which are ranked among the top in the State. However, we have also become very concerned about the price being paid for our new school facilities. The final cost of the new Jensen Beach High School is yet to be determined, but now stands at $70 million, about 200% of its original budget, and numerous problems attributed to bad design and planning have yet to be solved. The estimated cost of the new Cove Road middle school has been increased by 25% in four months (from $30 to $40 million) to nearly $35,000 per student. The new cafeteria at Martin County High is now estimated to cost $9.2 million and new classrooms at South Fork High $7.5 million, both up over 100% in a matter of months. Even the new cafeteria at Warfield Elementary is over $5 million.

We want our children to attend school in a safe facility. Good planning would probably require most school facilities be designed to function as shelters. We are aware of the increased construction costs since the hurricanes. However, while we have not been able to obtain conclusive data, it is a safe bet that these proposed school facilities are considerably more expensive than would be paid for commercial projects of equal complexity.

Good schools are indispensable to the future of Martin County. Extraordinarily expensive school buildings are not. One of the major components justifying recent large increases in impact fees is our need for additional schools. By definition these fees, if properly assessed and utilized, should be adequate for the majority of the increased cost of facilities required by growth. Most of the land for new schools, as well as basic infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer lines are being obtained/coerced from developers wishing to get approval to build in the county. The advalorum tax dedicated to schools has increased considerably over the last few years, and will continue to increase with each new home built or sold in the County. With this many resources already available, the County’s taxpayers are entitled to lots of justification before the School Board employs schemes such as loans or State mandates to build over-designed, over-priced facilities. They should have to explain the need and get permission from the voters.