MY VIEW: Renew the half-cent sales tax to support local students

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

by: Cameron Driggers

As a proud Flagler Palm Coast High School senior who has grown up in the Flagler County School District as a Rymfire Roadrunner and then as a Indian Trails Mustang, I have been fortunate to enjoy educational opportunities that other students outside Flagler simply do not.

Modern technology and innovative facilities enhanced my education, without a doubt. These include:

A personal school MacBook/iPad that provided an intuitive platform in which to complete coursework collaboratively and communicate almost instantaneously with instructors
Apple TVs that allowed me and my classmates to take the place of the teacher by presenting to the class, developing critical professional soft skills in the process
A cooperative learning space that fostered movement and interaction between students
Makerspaces filled with advanced technology such as 3D printers, which encouraged me and my classmates to adopt a STEM mindset as well as creativity in our applications of mathematics and science
Strong security systems that made me feel safe while learning.

All of these things are only possible because of the half-penny sales tax, which is up for renewal on Nov. 8. Voters will decide if Flagler Schools will continue to have up to eight million dollars more in funding each year, leaving thousands of student educations in the balance.

As I prepare to graduate from the public school system I have spent so many years in, it is disheartening to think that the students preparing to join it may not enjoy the same opportunities I did.

While none of us like the idea of paying more in taxes, it is important to understand a few things about the half-cent tax renewal that make it a no-brainer for voters:

The half-penny sales tax is not a new tax. In fact, it’s been in place since 2002.
Money raised from the half-penny sales tax stays exclusively in Flagler County, directly benefiting our schools and the students who attend them everyday.
Despite being projected to raise an enormous $80 million dollars for the school district over the next 10 years, the cost of the tax on taxpayers is only a dime on every $20 purchase.

Although money raised from the half-cent sales tax funds resources for the entire student population, it also accommodates students who are in need. The Flagler County School District is one of few that provides a hot-spot box for students who cannot afford internet access or live in areas without it.

This tangible step resulting from the half-cent sales tax contributes towards closing the achievement gap.

Furthermore, thanks to the vast digital infrastructure network created after years of funding from the half-cent sales tax, Flagler County is in a much better position to weather pandemics and natural disasters.

Without any significant delays during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the digital educational capacity of the district facilitated students learning from home from day one. In other words, the half-cent sales tax strengthens the resiliency of our school district as well as the community it serves.

When it comes to this issue, we must ask ourselves a question. Are students, the future of our community, worth more than half of a cent? In my opinion, they are. Please vote “Yes” for the continuation of a one-half-cent tax on Nov. 8.