Lee County residents press school board for alternatives before Thursday’s tax vote

LEESBURG — Lee County residents urged school board members Friday to reconsider spending, find other revenue and weigh the strain on household budgets before voting Thursday on a proposed 3-mill property tax increase.

At the second of three public hearings, speakers challenged the district’s priorities and offered alternatives ranging from facility rentals to fundraising. Superintendent Kathleen Truitt said the proposed rate is needed to meet the school system’s obligations and warned that deeper cuts could affect classrooms and services.

The proposal would raise the school operating rate from 15.96 mills to 18.96 mills. The final hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, followed by a vote at 6:30 p.m.

Sam Lovelace, 26, a Lee County High School graduate and father of four, described the pressure on his single-income household. He said his monthly mortgage payment had risen by $400 after last year’s tax error depleted his escrow account.

Lovelace said he did not blame the board but asked members to “revisit the proposal, scrutinize the budget, and exhaust reasonable alternatives before placing the burden on taxpayers.”

Another resident, who moved to Leesburg in 2023, said their property taxes had increased by $4,563.60 over the past year. If school taxes forced a move, the resident said, “I will not purchase in Lee County again.”

Local business owner Megan Weaver asked the board to “pretend that raising property taxes is not an option” and consider other ways to meet its needs.

Weaver suggested facility rentals, alumni fundraising, naming rights, redirecting gate and concession receipts, and an energy-savings performance contract for heating and cooling work. She also suggested voluntary employee pay cuts and warned that raising property taxes could make another education sales tax proposal harder to pass.

Other residents questioned employee raises and construction priorities. One challenged spending on a bus parking lot while the high school needed air conditioning.

“Somebody, somewhere along the line has got to say no,” he said.

Truitt said the district had eliminated 11 positions through retirements and resignations, saving about $779,000. But salaries and benefits account for 83% of its $92.7 million operating budget, and rising costs have limited those savings.

“We do not get to negotiate our insurance plan,” she said of state-mandated employee health coverage.

The proposed levy includes money for the operating budget, rebuilding reserves after a $3.28 million taxpayer refund, replacing part of the capital revenue expected to be lost when the current education sales tax expires, higher fuel costs and the county’s tax collection fee.

The district describes the reserve recovery as a one-year expense. Voters rejected renewal of the education sales tax this spring.

Truitt said alternatives to raising the rate could include layoffs, larger classes, fewer extracurricular activities, a four-day school week, combining schools or changes to transportation and other services.

Board Vice Chair Donna Ford said she had once taught 34 fourth graders during her 32-year teaching career and described the experience as “extremely challenging.”

Some speakers defended the board. Frank Griffin, a former Lee County school board chairman who now serves on the State Board of Education, said efficiency and taxpayer frustration could coexist.

“This school system can be the fifth most efficient school system in the state,” Griffin said. “I can still think my property taxes are high.”

Truitt said the district would add a clearly labeled financial information section to its website to make budgets and audits easier to find.

The board chair said members would consider residents’ comments before Thursday’s vote.