Pasco district ponders tax revenue sharing with charter school

Tampa Bay Times | By: Jeffrey S. Solochek | November 5, 2026

The big story: Florida law is clear that school districts must share revenue from their local-option property and sales taxes with charter schools in their counties.

But does that mean all of them?

That’s a question Pasco-Hernando State College had for the Pasco County school district this week. The college this past spring sponsored a charter school run by Dayspring Academy, which superintendent John Legg helped establish more than 20 years ago, and inquired whether the charter could get a share of the revenue from the district’s property tax referendum that expires next year.

“It’s a minor dollar amount. They’re not going to sue us. They are just looking for clarity,” Legg told school board members on Tuesday.

The 2022 referendum referred generally to sharing with charter schools, but did not specify which ones. The district’s newly approved tax initiative, which voters approved this week, makes clear that it applies only to charters eligible in law for revenue sharing.

That law speaks to charters “sponsored by a school district.”

School board members said that’s what they meant when they called the first referendum.

“I distinctly remember we put the referendum to help Pasco County school district teachers,” said retiring board member Cynthia Armstrong, who noted that Pasco had no other types of charters at the time.

She and others had no interest in shifting gears for the college-sponsored school.

“We have to look at the precedent we could set statewide,” board member Jessica Wright said. “I don’t want to be the first to further convolute funding for school districts.”

Board attorney Paul Meeker offered to get more information about the college’s rationale and interest. But Legg said that wouldn’t be necessary. The checks are going out shortly to other charters, and the college just wanted “a yes or no so they can move on.”

“They are still our partner. They are not adversarial,” he said. “There is no ambiguity for next year. … We tied (the new referendum) directly to the statute.”

Whether that statute might come up for revisions remains to be seen.