Rookie Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt–who didn’t bother attending today’s faculty and employee kick-off of the new school year, didn’t bother attending graduation ceremonies for either Matanzas or Flagler Palm Coast High School, didn’t bother showing up at a recent board “retreat” until it was halfway through, and rarely met with the superintendent–may need to bone up on her job.
Hunt does not know how the district’s budget is funded by a state formula. She does not know how the millage, or property tax, is set. She does not know whether to cheer or jeer lower school property taxes, even coming off a budget briefing on July 24, when she voted to approve advertising the budget.
“So I mean, as you guys keep saying, I want to point out it’s the lowest, it’s the lowest,” Hunt said at a budget meeting Tuesday evening, referring to next year’s school property tax rate–again a historic low. “Are we saying Yay? Yay, Flagler County taxpayers? Are we saying boo, state of Florida for not supporting? I guess I–you guys, you know, I’m just trying to figure out, that’s why I say, like, like, let’s talk about what we’re talking about. Because Sally public, I don’t know what we’re talking about right now. So when you say five times, this is the lowest it’s been, I don’t, I don’t like–in a society where we want to either cheer or boo, I don’t know what I’m doing right now. Like, is that bad for us? like, good for taxpayers because they’re not paying as much?”
Most of what Hunt said during that 30-minute meeting was along those lines.
It’s not unusual that new school board members are confused and bewildered by the budget, though they are generally in better command of the subject almost a year into their tenure, and Hunt, like her two other new colleagues on the board (Will Furry and Christy Chong) has recoiled several times at the suggestion that her newness on the board had any bearing on her smarts and savvy. She often stresses how smart she is.
Her command of the budget figures did not appear to be anywhere near the case Tuesday evening at what would otherwise have been a routine meeting, when the School Board approves–ratifies is a more accurate term–the budget it is in most respects forced to accept, since the majority of it is out of the local board’s control.
“We are the only taxing authority that cannot set our millage,” Patty Wormek, the district’s finance director, said. The state Legislature sets the tax rate every year.
It set it at $3.155 per $1,000 in taxable value, a sharp drop from last year’s $3.298, again setting a record for lowest tax rate in recent history. In 1995, the tax rate was just over $7 per $1,000 in taxable value. Lower rates don;t necessarily mean lower revenue, and in every year since the Great Recession, lower rates have generated higher revenue because property values have recovered, and only half the homestead exemption (the first $25,000) applies to school taxes, not the full $50,000 exemption that applies to, say, city and county taxes. The district’s Patti Wormeck, chief financial officer, explained some of the numbers before Hunt chimed in.
“Before we move on, can we just take a second to talk about what we’re talking about for like, millage?” Hunt said. “Is this like, there’s a bucket of property taxes, and this is determining what of that we get, and like the Sheriff’s Office might get a certain percentage, and we get a certain percentage?”
Not exactly. The Sheriff’s Office does not “get” any part of whatever bucket Hunt was referring to. County Commissions are funded by their own property taxes, generating revenue for their general fund, out of which commissions approve and fund the budgets of constitutional officers, among them the sheriff. Constitutional officers are not their own taxing authorities.
Wormeck pointed Hunt to the figure showing taxable values in Flagler County and how that affects the local property tax and what property owners pay.
“So I’m just trying to, in layman’s terms,” Hunt said, “does this mean that, going from a 7 percent in ’95, that more value was placed on education? More funds went to education, and now we’re cutting over half, suggesting that–I just want to talk about what we’re talking about, right? Because it’s like, this is so low. This is so low. What does that mean? If I’m hearing you, is it that–is it state legislators who are not giving as much as they used to? Is it local, who are not giving as much as they used to in percentage to this education?”
Wormeck empathized with Hunt, telling her generously that it took her years to understand that while the state sets the tax rate, “I wouldn’t say that someone’s placed some more priority on education or not,” the finance director said. “It’s when we talk about it’s the lowest ever: The point being driven home there is, our property values are going up. We don’t benefit from it because the millage that is set by the state continues to go down.”
In fact, the district has lost state funding over the years, when adjusted for inflation. Ten years ago, the state funded the Flagler district at a rate of $10,000 per student, including capital expenses. By 2022, that was up to $12,465–not much of an increase, especially when adjusted for inflation: in constant dollars, Flagler County had fallen just short of keeping up with inflation: the 2013 allocation equated to $12,867 in 2022, adjusted dollars, so the district lost ground.
The state also eliminated local taxing authority for capital outlay and reduced contributions through Public Education Capital Outlay, or so-called PECO funds, by largely shifting allocations to charter schools.
Board member Colleen Conklin–who does her homework and understands school budgets better than most in the district, and who for years has been sounding the alarm of a state short-changing education–schooled Hunt on the state’s funding formula and local limitations on school taxation. Wormeck added illustrations of her own.
“Yeah, I just, if I’m a member of the public, like I’ve tuned out,” Hunt–the chronic no-show–said, “this is why I think people are so disengaged with government and politics, because you’re talking PECO, and you’re talking– and like, you know, I’m a member of a school board, right?” (It isn’t clear what Hunt meant by a disengaged public: local government meetings for the past several years have been more well-attended, and often raucously so, than in previous years. And Hunt has repeatedly differentiated herself from members of the public by referring to her responsibilities as a school board members.)
Conklin again explained the meaning of the property tax rate, “Because let me tell you something, if that number was going up, people would be in this room,” she said, pointing to an otherwise empty board chamber. “The members of the public who are paying property taxes, when they got their notice in the mail, that’s what they’re looking at. And if that number goes up, people are not happy about it.”
“So you have cheaper taxes, but your schools are not getting potentially funded appropriately,” Hunt said.
“I guess it’s all perspective,” Conklin said. “You would have some members of the public that would say no, we are funded appropriately. You’d have others that would say we’re not and that’s at the discretion of the state, because they set” the tax rate.
“Awesome. I will check out a masterclass on millage,” Hunt said, nine months into her term and at the very meeting–first of two–where board members were voting on next year’s millage. Hunt cast her votes approving the budget and the millage rate she did not understand.
Eileen Marie Gernet says
She better learn …fast.
Marcus Aurelius (the original) says
So Hunt is getting paid for doing literally nothing.
Doesn’t attend school board related functions.
Doesn’t know anything about what’s going on with the school board, even ‘tho she’s a year into this. Doesn’t know anything about the school board budget, rarely meets with the superintendent, on and on and on.
Who voted for this one? Did she have a “D” or an “R” behind her candidacy? That will give you the answer.
Wake up people. Before you vote, investigate. Pay not attention to the BS candidates spill forth while campaigning because it’s all meaningless. Investigate these people before you vote!!!
Concerned Community Member says
Wow! I watch the school board meetings faithfully. I get so upset on the ignorance of Sally Hunt and her questions. It seems to me with all her I’s she uses, her speaking is not about the schools or the students, it’s all about her. I understood the Director of finance when she presented her report. Why doesn’t Sally ever understand. We need people elected to serve and engage and understand, that is why they get paid over $30,000 a year. It’s your job to know and learn. Ignorance is not accept.
Bailey’s Mom says
Well you know it’s like, I mean okay but what’s a millage and like how is it calculated. Is it like a village with taxes applied to equal a millage…oh it’s just like so frustrating, you know I’m smart but this stuff is hard and we need to be about education so like others can be smart too.
WTH has happened, she used to be overly involved at one school and now not involved at all.
It’s like I hope all this gets to be too much and she like realizes that She Is Not Enough and Not Qualified! Take Fuzzy & Wuzzy with you on your way out!
Let’s vote these unqualified people out and vote for people who really care about our students, education, and are full vested in learning what it is to be a competent School Board Member.
We have to get this right…
Ed says
Opps, school board is nonpartisan. But she is affiliated with the Democratic Party…and Governor Ron DeSantis did not endorse her.
Now what Marcus? Am I awake enough?
Ban the GOP says
Wait till those tax dollars go to for profit schools and not public schools. Give it some time then public schools will really be reeling. “School choice” was another republican scam to defund public schools with academic standards. Now your tax dollars can go to for profit institutions that just raised their tuition in light of rons new law. So guess what school taxes must go up to stime the upcoming budget shortfall, costs are also rising. I say Boo as kids are our future and no kid should suffer educationally based on their parents income. different age kids start school at drastically different start times cause flagler dosent have enough money for more buses and drivers and the new laws just took effect. So not looking like things will improve until some of the republicans are removed from their positions. These people ban books they dont like so i have no sympathy for any of them. Republicans will sabatoge any program that actually helps people. Look it up or dont look up haha.
Nancy N. says
There were a lot of votes AGAINST Woolbright, not FOR Hunt.
Floduh scools says
Maybe it was nonpartisan back in the day. but just recently one side started banning books they don’t like and whitewashing history, defunding schools and eliminating teachers unions and none of that was by vote or some grassroots movement no these laws were passed in the middle of the night with noone around.
So she’s affiliated, but there non partisan huh? Even if she was check out what happens if you speak out against racist rons rules. They will use their given power to target, harass,intimidateand defame you. Nope i think your still asleep.sleep typing maybe.
Deborah Coffey says
Next time the Flagler County Democrats get behind a school board candidate, they’d better do their research. We’ve got a homeschooling mom who knows almost nothing, doesn’t seem she needs to learn it, and doesn’t attend public school functions. She does collect quite a large salary (for part time work) paid for by us!
Poor dad says
Just remember as there’s a growing number of American people living in poverty and global inflation has upward pressure on prices.
Republicans in the House of Representatives have proposed substantial cuts to Title I, a program that sends money to schools serving students from low-income families.Jul 14, 2023
Surprising? Hardly. says
Is it really surprising though? She’s a member of the terrorist group, M4L. They aren’t the sharpest deck, just funded by big money people trying to usher in a global Fascist movement. Christo-fascists with more skeletons in their closet than the Haunted Mansion. Follow the money.
Side note-the man that funded that Sounds of Freedom film was just arrested for child kidnapping. What’s that about projection? He runs a Sugar Babies/Sugar Daddy’s club and funds a film about trafficking but kidnaps a child. Uh huh…these M4L people are no better. Most of them don’t have kids in school or kids at all. They are chasing big donor money and pushing their hate. They are the Minivan Taliban.
FlaglerLive says
At last check Hunt was not a known member of the moms for liberty, though Hunt’s affiliations and allegiances have proven to be rather fluid.
Loopy Lou says
I read that entire article in valley girl voice. Me thinks Chiumento washed her brain too much when he indoctrinated her.
JimBob says
“Alarming Ignorance” at the FlaglerSchool Board? Quelle Surprise!
Shark says
She should just change her party affiliation like Holland and Staly !!!
The real Marcus Aurelius Jr says
Hey Ban the GOP, she’s a Democrat, duh……….
Dennis C Rathsam says
Why is it that P/C has more of its share of village idiots?
Tired of it says
And Flurry and Chong ran agaisnt better qualified individuals with experience in the education field and were voted in only because they are Republicans.
Nancy N says
And more importantly…why are so many of them getting elected to public office?
Ban the gop says
Are school boards non partisan or no? That’s a good thing then so she has half a brain and not a domestic terrorist.
Edith Campins says
Perhaps if DeSantis wasn’t taking millions away from public school funds and giving them to charter schools there wouldn’t be an issue with school funding.
Edith Campins says
DeSantis is doing enough on his own to destroy public education in Florida.
https://news.yahoo.com/ron-desantis-spend-4-billion-202237865.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
School Board Sally My ... says
Who is Sally Hunt? Isn’t she a… uhhh…. hmm… not sure who she is at all.
Ohhhh WAIT wait wait now I know why I have NO clue who she is. She does NOT attend major events, including graduation or the back to school welcome.