Seminole County Schools approves $175M bond

Big-ticket construction projects are set to be on their way after Seminole County Public Schools approved issuing a $175 million bond for this summer using penny sales tax revenue. The goal: setting the school district up to save money long-term. 

Seminole County voters last November approved the one-penny sales tax, meant to go toward infrastructure projects in Seminole County. Over the next decade, the schools are expected to get $325.1 million.

But before the school can start construction or start buying things like new buses and electronic devices for every student enrolled, the district needs to have the money in the bank. So the district is preparing to issue up to a $175 million bond next month, which is functionally a $175 million loan taken out by the school district.

“We’re trying to make sure that we have an opportunity to do all that we can with the dollars the voters have provided for us in this next generation of the sales tax,” SCPS Superintendent Serita Beamon told board members at a workshop May 13 before the vote. 

Another reason why the school board is going out for a bond: budget cuts. The school board is facing declining enrollment, which is creating a $17 million budget deficit. As part of the package to issue new bonds, the school board also approved paying off older debt early, which would save the district more than $7.8 million in interest payments in the next decade. 

The new bond would also go towards items that would eventually save the schools money, like more efficient school buses and air conditioning systems. School Board Member Robin Dehlinger had previously noted that the construction projects were based on 2024 dollars – before inflation, and before tariffs. 

“I think the ability to frontload projects and get them ongoing instead of waiting to accumulate the revenue over the years is a real positive, especially for the community because they see progress on these projects that are so important for them,” Dehlinger said. 

Seminole County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Mark Mullins said they would double the gas mileage by buying more efficient buses, and the newer buses would be under warranty for parts and labor of the buses. 

“We face the anticipation of inflationary impacts as these projects spread out over the years,” Mullins said. “We’re not seeing any improvement in lead times of large items.”

Jay Glover, the managing director of PFM Financial Advisors, told the board the bond would possibly go out to financial markets in early June. That would net the school board around $150 to $160 million in cash to use for projects as early as June 16.

Glover said the board should be “flexible” on the timing.

“We can predict when market information is going to be released or what other deals might price, but we can’t predict when there might be a tweet sent about tariffs with other countries or other things globally that might happen,” Glover said. “Be flexible. … We might push it off a day or a week.”

The school construction projects in the greater Oviedo and Winter Springs areas include:

1. $23,704,216 at Winter Springs High School to refresh buildings 1 through 9. It includes a remodel of the window wall on buildings 8 and 9. 
2. $17,860,200 at Keeth Elementary School in Winter Springs to remodel Building 1 and do a building addition of about 10,000 square feet.  
3. $1,513,840 at Winter Springs Elementary School to refresh buildings 3, 5, 6 and 7.
4. $1,497,394 at Eastbrook Elementary School on the southern border with Orange County to refresh buildings 2, 4 and 5. 
5. $1,820,775 at Geneva Elementary School to replace Building 15.

Check here for the full list of projects on the list, starting on page 169. 

School board: Keep pressing lawmakers on AP, dual enrollment cuts

The Florida Legislature has extended its session at least through June 6, and the Florida House wants to extend the session through June 30. 

The big issue is major differences between the Florida House and Senate and the governor’s office on the budget. Those differences have school board members worried about the possibility of cuts to the reimbursement rate the schools get for students who take Advanced Placement, or AP, courses and dual enrollment. 

It would also impact students who get career certifications. 

“I think it’s really important to continue the cadence of advocacy with our legislators,” said Alli Liby-Schoonover, the school board’s lobbyist, at a workshop May 13. “Making it incredibly real for the legislators to know what happens when you cut AP and industry certification programs. The budget is very much in flux. There is still an opportunity to engage on this issue.” 

School board members have previously said the change would cut $8.6 million in Seminole County alone. 

“There’s still some room for us to advocate for the programs that mean the most to us,” said school board member Autumn Garick. “There’s still time to lobby for our kids.”

Sanchez agreed – and said it’s important for people to be respectful of lawmakers when doing it. 

“Feel free to share your concerns in a kind way to let them know what you’re concerned about it,” said school board member Abby Sanchez. “And if you don’t know what’s going on please check … I don’t want you to be blindsided when our funding is cut, which I’m hoping it won’t, but it’s looking that way.” 

In an interview with Oviedo Community News, school board chair Kristine Kraus had previously said funding cuts would likely mean fewer course offerings for students. 

Check here for the full SCPS agenda, and check here to watch the school board meeting on YouTube.

Editor’s note: SCPS does not livestream its board workshops, where staff and board members discuss items coming before the school board. See below for a recording by Oviedo Community News of the workshop with Liby-Schoonover. OCN publishes workshop recordings to increase accessibility to these public meetings. Members of the public can also request audio of board workshops.

Listen to the School Board workshop audio here:

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