LEE CO., Fla. — We're checking to see how your money collected in a tax increase is being spent in Lee County.
We're talking about the half-cent sales tax voters approved for schools, three years ago. The Lee County School District says it's gone to a number of improvements- everything from electronics in the classroom to new roofs on buildings.
So far, the sales tax has generated more than $228 million dollars. A district spokesperson says that's about a third of all capitol revenue in the last two years. So what does that buy?
Let's use Caloosa Elementary School as an example. They have had a near ten-fold increase in their security cameras. That obviously helps with campus security but they’ve also made improvements to the roof. The district says these are improvements, that otherwise, would not be possible.
“When you increase and enhance the learning environments so that the students can stay focused and the teachers can really dive in without worrying, ‘is that light going to go out?’ or ‘ is the student uncomfortable in that chair?’- everybody’s learning is enhanced because of those improvements," said Rob Spicker, Assistant Director of Media Relations & Public Information for Lee County School District. "So they’re real excited about what they’ve been able to do and change that learning environment for their students.”
The district will take us on a tour, to see some of these improvements. We'll show you what your tax money is paying for tonight during Fox 4 News at 6.
