The purpose of my update this month is to share election information that impacts our 50+ schools and the District School Board of Collier County as a whole. The 2024 general election ballot includes two voting items directly related to education: Amendment One and the school district referendum. Below, you will see a summary of those two items and important upcoming dates.
Amendment One
Voters will be asked “yes” or “no” on six proposed amendments to the Florida constitution. The first amendment listed on the ballot would require members of a district school board to be elected in a partisan election rather than a nonpartisan election. The change would go into effect in 2026. Currently, school board races are nonpartisan, and registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, are eligible to vote for candidates.
School District Referendum
The last item on page two of the general election ballot will greatly impact how schools are funded for the next four years. Voters will be asked “yes” or “no” whether to continue tax-neutral flexible funding for Collier County Public Schools (CCPS). A public vote is required through a referendum to provide our local school board with the flexibility to continue to shift up to $60 million per year from the capital budget to the operating budget for the next four years. This is timely because the current referendum expires in June of 2025. The tax-neutral referendum will not add any additional costs to taxpayers.
The referendum has historically passed by wide margins since first appearing on Collier ballots in 2008, and it has been used to recruit, support, and retain the high-quality staff who make CCPS a high-performing school district. Visit collierschools.com/referendum for additional information on this topic.
District School Board of Collier County
L to R: Kelly Mason, Stephanie Lucarelli, Erick Carter, Tim Moshier, Jerry Rutherford
Upcoming Dates
There are three ways to vote: by mail, voting early, or voting on election day. The deadline to request a Vote-by-Mail ballot was October 24. Early voting will take place October 21 through November 2 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 11 sites across Collier County. Election Day is November 5 and polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Election Day is the last opportunity to cast a ballot, and voters must vote in their assigned precinct on Election Day.
This communication continues a tradition of Collier County Public Schools partnering with the Collier County Supervisor of Elections to engage with and provide information to the community. For more information, visit CollierVotes.gov or contact the Supervisor of Elections office at 239.252.VOTE (8683). Education is an issue that touches every corner of our community, and our students, staff, and schools are on the November ballot in more ways than one.
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