In recent months we have heard a lot about a 2015 state technology mandate of tablets for each student. There is no such mandate from the state. This is a big deal, because the tablet for each student was budgeted to cost $62,395,000 over the next ten years.
When the half cent sales tax for the school board was up for renewal by the voters, Barbara Behrendt of the Tampa Bay Times wrote, “The tax would be used to get tablet computers into the hands of every Hernando County student within the next three years, a needed boost because of a state mandate that students use technology.”
As recently as January 13, Chairman Nicholson of the Hernando Board of County Commissioners asked of Ron Pianta during a discussion of school impact fees, “For the state to mandate that they have tablets in the schools would not be a growth item then.” Mr. Pianta replied, “I’m sure they will get up and correct me if I am wrong, the majority of that cost was included in the local option sales tax referendum. The plan was to pay for that through the local option sales tax.”
This was cited as a major reason for the need for penny for projects sales tax referendum on the November 2014 ballot. Just over 62 million dollars of the moneys earned through the half cent sales tax would go towards the one to one tablet initiative. Included in the penny for projects promotional flier was “The district’s one-to-one [tablet] initiative will also help meet state requirements for digital instructional materials.”
After the tax did not pass, Behrendt wrote, “The school district hoped the tax would pay for computer tablets for students to meet state mandated technology goals.”
Dan Dewitt of the Tampa Bay Times wrote, “Actually they [refering to tablets] will be the textbooks of the future. The state has mandated it, which means the money that didn’t come from the sales tax must come from somewhere…”
In a later article by Dan DeWitt, Michele Irwin, a Brevard district school board representative, answered his question and disparaged a state technology mandate. She told him that her district hopes to find money for the devices through grants or dollars expected to be approved for that purpose by the state Legislature next year (2015). She also mentioned that the Brevard School District did not devote any funds to tablets in their (ultimately successful) taxing campaign to avoid seemingly frivolous expense, which were pitched as necessary to meet state technology mandates in Hernando.
Hernando Sun reviewed Florida State Statues regarding education funding, contacted State Senator Wilton Simpson’s Office and the State of Florida Reference Library. A State mandate for one to one computing or the specific use of tablets was not found.
Read more about this important issue.
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http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/hernando-county-city-and-schools-officials-pitch-penny-for-projects-tax/2202452
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/dewitt-if-hernando-is-to-thrive-it-must-invest-in-itself/2206317
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/as-hernando-schools-contemplate-failed-sales-tax-five-counties-offer/2210713
http://moms.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/hernando-voters-say-no-to-penny-for-projects-sales-tax/2205133