“Making Florida stronger and ensuring every Floridian can build a life they can be proud of starts with supporting the communities that help lift up our neighborhood public schools. Amendment 3, which is on the ballot in November, is not the solution to Florida’s growing affordability crisis. It’s a tax shift that taxpayers across the state will end up footing the bill for. And it’s one that we cannot afford.
“Cities and counties will see a significant reduction in overall funding for vital services, such as public libraries, parks and recreation, mosquito control, cuts to 911 dispatchers, EMT and fire services, road and bridge maintenance and repair, clean water, and hurricane preparedness to name a few. Not to mention the significant number of agreements between cities/counties and school districts for safety, after school programs, recreational fields and more, which could have a significant impact on already underfunded neighborhood schools. Cities and counties will be forced to decide between making cuts to services, charging residents higher fees for each service, or increasing the sales tax to backfill the loss in revenue.
“During a time when the state has continued their nearly 30-year legacy of disinvesting in our neighborhood public schools, disadvantaging the students and communities that our schools serve, and disrespecting the education professionals who support our students, we cannot afford to further disenfranchise our communities.”
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CONTACT: FEA Press, feapress@floridaea.org, (850) 201-3223
The Florida Education Association is the state’s largest association of professional employees, with 120,000 members. FEA represents PreK-12 teachers, higher education faculty, educational staff professionals, students at our colleges and universities preparing to become teachers and retired education employees.
