Q&A – How Many Floridians Use the Public School System?
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
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Today’s entry: @brianmuddradio You said most people don’t use the public schools. What are the #’s? Property taxes are way too high!
Bottom Line: Today’s note is in response to yesterday’s Q&A in which I was addressing proposed Palm Beach County teacher compensation for the third time in as many weeks. Related to my coverage I’ve continued to hear from numerous educators who’re largely critical of the transparency and market-based analysis I’ve provided. I’ve also continued to hear from numerous residents who’re grateful for the coverage and transparency which has otherwise been nonexistent locally. Yesterday the matter was decided as The Palm Beach County School Board approved the largest pay increase in the District’s history. The 7.5% increase demanded by the Classroom Teachers Association was approved, which was the most likely outcome as the School Board is comprised of CTA members sympathetic to the demands of their union. And the board didn’t stop there. They also authorized a one-time 3% bonus to instructional employees within the district. The raises are being made retroactive to July 1st and will cost taxpayers an additional $95.2 million. Enter today’s question which is a topic I most recently covered a couple of years ago.
You’re far from alone in your frustration that we’re paying among the highest property taxes in the country in South Florida with the bulk of the funds going to the public education system which isn’t used by most. It’s a recurring theme I’ve heard over the years from often retirees and others who often don’t have children.
The argument advanced by those who defend all property owners having to pay for public education through property taxes, is that society benefits generally from a healthy public education system. There’s truth to that argument, clearly though, there’s nothing equitable about the value families who make use of public schools receive as opposed to those who never do. To your point, Floridians are generally less likely to use the public school system based on demographics.
With an average age of 42.5, Florida’s the fifth oldest state in the country. That’s contrasted with the youngest, Utah, with an average age of 31.3. Additionally, Florida has the country’s largest senior population, with 4.5 million Floridians, 21% of Florida’s population, over the age of 65. Clearly these aren’t people generally using grade schools of any type and often are the most negatively impacted by the rise in property taxes. And as for households with grade school students, there are many who opt for private education. 13% of Florida’s grade school students attend private school. Another 3%+are homeschooled. By the time one accounts for all of these factors, along with those who don’t have children, the percentage of households which use the public school system is...28.6%. As low as that level of usage is...it’s even more exaggerated in Palm Beach County. Palm Beach County is an average of 2.5 years older than the average Florida community. As a result, the usage rate in the Palm Beaches’ drops to about 26.9% of households.
All homeowners pay property taxes, among the highest in the nation in South Florida, primarily to provide public education that just over a quarter of households use. Florida’s foreclosure rate is currently the 7th highest in the country, with 18,530 properties currently in the foreclosure process. Year-to-date 1,580 property owners have lost their homes through the foreclosure process in Palm Beach County. That doesn’t begin to account for the indeterminate number of residents who’ve been forced to sell their home due to the inability to continue to afford the residual costs of ownership. The two greatest affordability issues stem from property insurance cost increases and property tax increases. Palm Beach County’s current property tax rates are higher than 95% of the country and is the second highest to only Miami Dade in the state. People are literally being taxed out of their homes.
This reality, these people and these families who lose their homes while a union demands greater tax collection for huge raises that are way above the rate of both wages and raises for the average citizen in this county, are never discussed in this context. They’re front and center with me however, I’ve heard from numerous people in this situation over the years. Due to this reality, I’ve previously advocated rethinking the way we go about imposing property taxes and begin to prioritize homeowners, placing them on at least neutral footing with government interests.
There perhaps should be consideration paid to opting seniors out of having to pay property taxes for public schools. Conceptionally, how logical or righteous is it that a retiree’s home is foreclosed by a local government because they can’t afford to pay increasing property taxes which are primarily used to pay for public schools? That conversation is a different version of a similar thing for up to 71.4% of Florida’s population who don’t use the public school system but are forced to pay thousands in property taxes alone for them.
The teachers’ union is the ultimate advocate of the status quo. As in they make demands. They expect a compliant school board comprised of members of the teachers’ union to approve it. And they couldn’t care less what the impact of those ever-rising costs are on the residents of Palm Beach County or how many people may be taxed out of their homes as a result.
Florida’s somewhat uniquely positioned to rework the way we do things. Our economy continues to lead the country in growth, producing record revenues to state and local governments. Specific to schools, while our state’s population continues to rapidly grow, we continue to see far more families moving to the state aren’t using the public school system. The use of our public schools has barely budged in recent years while we’ve averaged adding hundreds of new residents daily. All of these factors provide an opportunity to reshape the way we pay for public education – which if we shifted the burden off property – would have a profoundly positive impact on affordability in this and every community.