Becky Newell

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NAPLES — On Nov. 4, Collier County voters will have the opportunity to take positive action to direct how a portion of our education tax dollars is spent by voting “yes’’ for the flexible funding referendum.

This referendum allows the school district to move between $15 million and $19 million, depending on assessed property values, from its capital fund directly into its operating fund in each of the next four years. This money would support student programs that are already in place.

I am the community member who brought the idea of the flexible funding referendum to Collier County School Board member Kathleen Curatolo early this year. I learned that the referendum was possible from a former resident of Monroe County (Florida Keys). The Monroe school district initially passed its flexible funding referendum in 2004, and voters there overwhelmingly renewed the referendum in January 2008.

I am also a parent of a special needs child in the Collier County schools. My son has Down syndrome and spends most of his school day in an Exceptional Student Education (ESE) classroom. At the beginning of this school year, the ESE department experienced major personnel cuts. Because of my personal experiences, I certainly understand the frustration and anger that many in our community feel toward our school district.

But what I have come to realize is that this referendum is not about the school district — it is about each student in our schools. We are in danger of losing art classes, music classes, technology classes, sports, marching band, choir, advanced placement classes, school nurses, and all other programs that are not required by law. Without this referendum, every student in our schools will lose something that affects the quality of his or her education, and may never regain it.

In addition, if our students lose all these educational opportunities, our entire community will suffer. The quality of our schools affects many aspects of our community, ranging from property values to economic development. The businesses that have traditionally fueled our local economy — construction, real estate, restaurants — are failing at an alarming rate. How can we lure new industries here if our schools offer only the programs that the law requires?

I am currently serving as chairperson of Yes for Collier Students, the grassroots committee that is supporting passage of the referendum. Our committee is a group of volunteers; most, but not all, of us have children in the Collier County schools. We all view this referendum as a way for citizens to direct the school district to use our tax dollars where they are truly needed. No tax increase is involved. We would simply allow the school district to move money from its “savings account” to its “checking account.”

When I speak with members of our community about the referendum, I hear a great deal of support for it, but I hear concern as well. People ask how they can be sure the school district really needs the money and what type of accountability the school district will have regarding how it spends the referendum money. These are valid concerns, but they can be addressed.

The Blue Ribbon Committee that has spent months dissecting the school district’s budget recently reported its findings. The committee states that the district “faces huge financial challenges and revenue shortfalls that will potentially damage our current Collier County educational structure and services if not properly addressed.”

The Blue Ribbon Committee recommends passage of the referendum, provided that the Collier County School Board and the superintendent publicly state in a School Board meeting that they will follow specific “fiscal responsibility requirements” outlined in the Blue Ribbon Committee report.

One of the committee’s requirements is that the superintendent provide accountability by presenting quarterly reports, in each year that the referendum is in effect, to a Community Oversight Committee stating how the referendum funds are being used.

Passing this referendum will not solve all of the school district’s financial problems. The school district must develop strategies that will allow it to deal with the long-term effects of the current economic climate. But the money that the referendum makes available can give us an opportunity to deal with the long-term issues without shortchanging our children now.

The flexible funding referendum is the last item on the Nov. 4 ballot. Please visit our Web site (www.yesforcollierstudents.com) to see the actual wording of the referendum and for more information.

Our students need your support — vote yes on Nov. 4!