It has been two years since the School District of Lee County received its first disbursement from the half cent sales tax voters approved in November 2018. The check was for $6.3 million. Since taking effect, the School District has collected more than $163 million.
“I can’t thank the community enough for their support,” says Superintendent Dr. Greg Adkins. “This new funding source allows us to build the schools we need to meet the growth challenges we face not just today but into the future. It also helps us make our schools secure and it helps us put technology in the hands of our students to meet their needs and prepare them for the world tomorrow.”
The District has produced its first report on sales tax spending. It is available online at https://www.leeschools.net/cms/One.aspx?portalId=676305&pageId=1272421. A short video on the page reviews the last two years as well. Some of the highlights include:
- $31,584,144 on maintenance
- $29,216,036 on safety and security
- $16,087,724 on technology
- $16,569,288 on construction
Two of the six schools promised during the sales tax campaign, Gateway High School and the new Lehigh Acres Middle School, are nearly complete and will welcome students in August. Two more schools, a K-8 in Estero and an elementary in Lehigh Acres are in the design phase with completion scheduled for August 2023.
Families can continue to track projects and spending on a school by school basis on the District’s Sales Tax Dashboard. Expenditures are updated every 24 hours and revenue is updated monthly. New projects are added when scheduled.
