Honor the promise!
"Honor the Promise: Fair Funding for All Public Students" is a call to uphold the original intent of Manatee County voters, who approved the ½-penny sales tax in 2016 to support all public school students—including those in charter schools. Despite this clear mandate, charter students have been systematically excluded from funding, and this effort seeks to restore both fairness and public trust.
The Voters
Said YES—
to All Students
When Voters Said YES,
They Meant Every Public School Student.
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In 2016, Manatee County voters overwhelmingly approved the ½-penny sales surtax to improve schools across the county. Now, nearly a decade later, thousands of public charter school students are still excluded from these funds—despite paying the same tax. It's time to honor the original promise.
“A great step for Charter schools to have a school board on record saying that they will receive money from the sales tax.” - Dave Miner , MCSB Member, October 25, 2016​
The 2016 Commitment: One Board, One Promise
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On October 25, 2016—just two weeks before the public vote on the ½-penny sales surtax—the Manatee County School Board, concerned the measure might fail without charter support, amended a motion to ensure that charter schools would not just receive a one-time grant but would be part of an equitable distribution plan going forward. The amended motion passed unanimously, providing public assurance that charter schools would be included in the funding.
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However, the Superintendent and District staff never implemented this directive, and no equitable process was ever established.
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Board Commitment Ignored. Voters were assured charter students would benefit. The board agreed. But the policy wasn’t followed.
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Minutes from the Board Meeting - October 25, 2016 (pp.8-9)
Video from the Board Meeting - October 25, 2016​
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What Was Promised
in 2016
The Block Grant "for year one with the Superintendent and District Staff working with the Charter Schools to establish an equitable distribution going forward." - Amended motion put forth by Bob Gause, MCSB Member, October 25, 2016​
What the
Voters
actually
approved
in 2016.
The Ballot Told a Different Story.
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When Manatee County voters approved the ½-penny sales tax in 2016, the ballot made no mention of excluding charter schools or tying their funding to other sources like millage or PECO. Voters were simply asked to support public schools—and charter schools are public schools. The promise made to all students should be honored as voters intended.
“I think every board member hear feels that charter schools are part of our operation…part of the great educational cloth of our community.” - Dave Miner , MCSB Member, October 25, 2016​
The Block Grant Band-Aid
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After the 2016 vote, instead of creating the equitable distribution plan promised by the Board, the district issued annual block grants to charter schools that covered only 35–45% of their fair share. Each year, funding letters included a misleading clause threatening to revoke these limited funds if the state assigned additional millage revenue to charters—a condition never part of the 2016 Board directive or voter-approved language. Despite clear instructions from the Board, a true equitable process was never created, leaving charter students shortchanged year after year.​​​​
What Happened Next: A Broken Process
What the Law Now Requires
The Law Caught Up in 2020—It’s Time We Did Too
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In 2020, Florida Statute § 212.055(6) was updated to require that sales surtax revenues be shared with eligible charter schools based on their proportionate share of total enrollment. Then, in 2023, HB 1259 further clarified that this sharing must be based specifically on each charter school's capital outlay full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment. The law now clearly reflects the very principle the Manatee County School Board committed to back in 2016—it’s time for the district’s actions to catch up as well.
Board Votes to Cut Charter Students Out​
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In August 2023, the Manatee County School Board voted to discontinue the limited block grant funding that charter schools had been receiving from the. ½-penny sales tax.
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During board discussions, it was clear that they had not been given all the information necessary to fully understand the original commitment made to charter families. Critical details—such as the amended motion for future equitable distribution—were missing from the district’s executive actions and internal follow-up. Without a full and accurate picture of the 2016 directives, the Board acted on incomplete information, resulting in a decision that deepened the inequity charter students face today.
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Based on this incomplete information, the Board ended the funding entirely, leaving over 12,000 charter school students—whose families continue to pay into the tax—without access to the improvements the surtax was meant to provide.
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The 2023 Decision: Breaking the Promise
Why This Still Matters—and What You Can Do
Facilities. Safety. Technology. Opportunity.​
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Charter school students are being left out of the very improvements the ½-penny sales tax was meant to deliver: safe buildings, upgraded classrooms, and equal access to modern technology. Their schools are part of the public system—but without fair funding, they are treated as second-class citizens. Restoring charter students’ share isn’t just about budgets; it’s about fairness, opportunity, and honoring the will of the voters.
You can help finish what the voters started.
Click Here to Take action today!
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“Restoring the funding is about restoring trust. It’s not just good policy—it’s the right thing to do.”