Alachua County voters have an opportunity to support our local public schools, teachers and children on the November 3 ballot through the renewal of the One Mill referendum.
First approved by voters in 2008, then again in 2012 and 2016, the One Mill helps fund the salaries of more than 300 teachers, including art/music/band/chorus teachers, school counselors, librarians, career tech academies, and magnet program teachers. It also guarantees a nurse in every school and is the district’s primary source of funding for school technology. That includes the 7000+ laptops and 1000 hotspots distributed to local students since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because of COVID, Alachua County Public Schools may lose more than $16 million in funding this school year. The district has also spent millions of additional dollars on COVID-related expenses, including PPE and staff training. Because most of the district’s funding goes towards salaries, such significant budget cuts and extra expenses would certainly lead to job losses.
Superintendent Karen Clarke said the One Mill will help lessen the impact of those cuts.
“All the people and programs funded through the One Mill are critical to our success as a district,” said Clarke. “We don’t want our students to lose access to any of them because there isn’t enough funding.”
If approved, the One Mill is projected to raise about $17 million per year for the next four years. The ballot language specifies how the revenues can be spent, and requires that an independent citizens’ oversight committee continue to review all expenditures.
ACCPTA believes that all of the positions and programs funded by the One Mill are critical to providing a
high-quality education to all Alachua County children. We proudly endorse the One Mill campaign and
encourage all Alachua County voters to VOTE YES on November 3!
We are also asking you to spread the word. Tell your friends, neighbors and co-workers how the programs funded by the One Mill benefit all children and contribute to the wider community. Children attending our public schools now will be the future leaders of our community, and we all stand to benefit from their success.
Read more about ACCPTA’s support for the One Mill: https://accpta.org/2020/09/18/accpta-supports-one-mill-for-alachua-county-schools/
Learn more about One Mill: https://yesforonemill.org/
Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yesforonemill