Like many other school district leaders across the state, Duval County Superintendent Christopher Bernier has toured Jacksonville to inform residents about a property-tax renewal levied by the school district that is on the ballot this November, which would help boost teacher pay.
But Bernier is instead often pushed by voters to talk about other issues in his public appearances, including Amendment 3, a separate – and controversial – statewide ballot initiative to cut property taxes across Florida, which critics argue would dramatically defund local governments.
Bernier’s dilemma is strikingly common. As state lawmakers push to cut property taxes through Amendment 3, over 40% of Florida’s public school districts will also have their own property-tax proposals before voters on the ballot. Although Amendment 3 exempts school districts from the potential property-tax cut, school districts could be hit in indirect ways, like shuttered after-school programs that are funded by taxing districts and local governments…