Lee County school board puts property tax hike on the table for discussion

Governor DeSantis wants to raise the pay for all teachers in Florida, but you’ll be paying for it.

The School District of Lee County says they don’t have enough money to pay for all the raises, so they want you to pay for it through a property tax.

A property tax hike is now on the table for discussion for homeowners in Lee County.

Charla Fox is a teacher who told board members, she knows first hand how badly teachers need a pay raise, “That is one of those areas that we really need to look at.”

A property tax increase would fund the governor’s call for higher teacher salaries and keep pace with neighboring school districts.

We’ve posted this question to our Facebook page:

TAXES FOR SCHOOLS: The School District of Lee County has broached the idea of increasing taxes to pay for teacher raises, benefits, and to add more school time. What do you think of the idea?

 

However, some taxpayers we talked with are not on board.

Don Burkett is a resident of Lehigh Acres and he has teachers in his family, “I’m sick and tired of government at all levels. They just spend more and then they tax more.”

He admits teachers deserve more money but he says not for a hike in his property tax

“It would be fairer to have a sales tax rather than a real estate tax. This way everyone participates,” Burkett said. “If you’re a renter, you’re not going to participate in that even though you might live here for some time.”

One mother summed up her support for the property tax hike. She said, whatever it takes to get her kids a better education.

No dates have been set by the school board for further discussion.