On November 6 the Bay District School Board will present voters with the question of whether or not to continue the half cent sales tax everyone currently pays.  The money goes toward construction, reconstruction, and improvements to facilities on school campuses.

This is not a new tax.  Passage would renew the same sales tax for the next ten years.  School Board members believe the half cent sales tax is the best way to make improvements to our schools in Bay County.  Everyone pays it, including tourists, and it amounts to a nickel for every ten dollars you spend.

When you purchase a pair of shoes at the mall did you ever think you might also be buying a new cafeteria?  As of June 30, 2007 the Citizens Oversight Committee says shoppers have paid almost $115 million in the half cent sales tax since 1998.  Add in the interest collected on that money, and proceeds from bonds sold in 1998 so projects could start immediately, and the collected money jumps to a little more than $183 million.  So where did all of that money go?

At Jinks Middle School you bought a covered bus loading area, a new art room, two regular classrooms, a band and chorus room, and an expanded administrative suite.  You also renovated buildings 1, 6, and 7 for a grand total of $8.7 million.

At Bay High, among other things, you bought a new gym, cafeteria, and 13 new classrooms including a culinary arts room furnished with half cent sales tax money.  You spent the most at Bay, totaling $17.1 million.

School Board member Ginger Littleton says when the sales tax was first adopted in 1998 Bay County schools were in bad shape.

"My Bay High experience is taking kids to the library.  It wasn't a media center, it was a depository for books.  They loved it when it rained because the rain would just wash down the wall.  It wasn't a leak, it was a waterfall," Littleton recalls.

She thinks the projects completed with the half cent sales tax money were all very much needed, but not everyone agrees.

"They spent far too much money on the extraneous things.  You take care of reading, writing and arithmetic first and then you take care of athletics and tennis courts," said Bay Tax Foundation member Ernie Mosley.

Littleton maintains the District never planned on spending money only on classrooms.  She says athletics and after-school activities not only make great memories but also teach important lessons kids won't learn in the classroom.

"Those are the things that gave you those people skills that you need, your ability to be responsible, and to be part of a team and all of those huge social skills that we need when we leave school," Littleton argues.

Bay High Principal Mackie Owens believes the environment a child learns in can affect their performance.  He says a run down school is not an appropriate place for a parent to send their child, and it also sends a message to the community.

"It is to me extremely important that the facilities at a school look good, not only the facilities, but the outside grounds because it gives people an impression of what your school is about," said Owens.

The School District has $123 million worth of projects planned for the next ten years if voters renew the half cent sales tax.  Some School Board members and principals say without an extension there is no way these projects will get done.  Other people don't necessarily agree.

Rutherford High School opened it's doors in 1961 as the second high school in Bay County.  While some things have changed, others have remained the same.

“We have some classroom buildings that are the original classroom buildings that I attended myself in 1969 as a senior here at Rutherford High School.  They haven't changed," said Principal Michael Kennedy.

During the past ten years the school received some upgrades like a partial renovation to the performing arts building and to some of the original classroom buildings.  If the half cent sales tax is renewed the school will secure an additional $15.5 million.

So what is on the plate for the next ten years at Rutherford?

"We have fifteen classroom buildings in our school and only five of them have been renovated completely.  We have quite a few buildings that have not gotten metal roofs on them yet and still have roof leak problems and issues.  We have a cafeteria expansion planned to increase our capacity," Kennedy added.

Principal Kennedy and his students are very excited about another improvement - a new gym.  Rutherford students have used the same non-airconditioned gym for the past 46 years.

Ginger Littleton says the purpose of the half cent sales tax is to make sure Bay County's students have all of the resources they need.

"A school that was brand new 20 years ago, today is very inefficient in terms of energy use and all that.  And technology - they wouldn't even be able to take today's technology," Littleton said.

But some tourists don't think it's fair that their money is supporting a school system they don't see any benefits from.

"We take care of ours, they should take care of theirs," said Sherry Hicks from Kentucky.

Littleton says the investment into our schools is one that has to be made and it's Bay County voter's choice as to how the district gets the money.  "We only have two wells.  One is the sales tax and one is your property tax.  Why would you want to put it simply put it on the backs of property owners?" asked Littleton.

Some residents would like to add a third choice.  "We've been taxed enough.  You look inside.  You find the savings within," said Ernie Mosley.

There are several items that are exempt from the half cent sales tax.  This includes gas, groceries, prescription drugs, over the counter medicines, mortgages, rents, prescription eyeglasses, medical test kits, and medical equipment.  There is also a $25 cap for items that cost more than $5,000.  So if you buy a boat, a car, or any other big ticket item you won't pay the half cent tax on the entire purchase price.

The question of whether or not the tax should be extended through December 31, 2017 will appear on a special ballot next Tuesday, November 6.