Marion County lays out $335M sales-tax plan; Belleview replacement, East Marion and Ocala middle works under way

Marion County school officials told the board on June 4 that the district is advancing projects financed by the voter-approved half-cent sales tax and is starting major work on safety and replacement projects.

Mr. White House reported the district expects roughly $335 million in sales-tax revenue over the 10-year life of the program and said current receipts for the initial year-and-a-half are about $60.1 million (about $49.9 million received so far at the time of the briefing). The district's first active projects include the East Marion Elementary enclosure (GMP $3.7 million, construction began in February and is scheduled to complete by winter break) and the Ocala Middle media-center enclosure (GMP $1.7 million, slated to finish over summer).

The board was told the Belleview Elementary and the Belleview Santos campus replacement is the next sizable effort; staff said they are selecting a construction manager with a two-year, approximately $65 million budget. After that, the district anticipates a phased Denellan Middle and Denellan High replacement project with a high-level construction estimate of about $150 million to be budgeted over several years; staff committed to community site visits and design options before final decisions.

Mr. White House described options for any excess annual sales-tax receipts: accelerated deferred maintenance, technology upgrades, or accelerating classroom-wing projects at Ward Highlands and Maplewood to replace long-standing portable classrooms. The district has formed a sales-tax oversight committee, is conducting audits, and plans to update public-facing web pages with renderings and progress photos to show voters how funds are spent.

Board members discussed whether to accelerate classroom expansions and whether an early-learning center should be prioritized; Dr. Brewer noted the district is working with federal lobbyists and Congressman Randy Fine and said a federal earmark application for an early-learning center in southeastern Marion County had cleared another hurdle and that "we only have one more step to go in the process." Board members asked staff to engage Denellan-area residents early in design conversations.