Voters in Portsmouth overwhelmingly turned down a proposed 1% sales tax increase on Tuesday that would have generated millions of dollars for school construction and renovation projects. With 61% of ballots cast against the measure, the school division and city leaders must now look for other ways to pay for improvements they say are long overdue.
According to Portsmouth Public Schools, the additional tax was projected to bring in roughly $10 million per year for capital improvement projects. Over the maximum 20-year period allowed, that could have added up to approximately $200 million.
The division's top construction priority is a new K-8 school with an estimated cost of $85 million. Third on its priority list is a new Churchland Middle School, estimated at $80 million.
With the referendum's defeat, division spokesperson Lauren Nolasco said Portsmouth Public Schools will have to seek funding for its construction and renovation priorities elsewhere. In a statement, she said "the financial burden of meeting the division's construction needs now falls entirely on city leadership."
In October, Superintendent Elie Bracy appeared alongside three other Hampton Roads school superintendents at a joint news conference to make the case for the referendum. They argued the added sales tax would create a dedicated funding source for school improvements without putting as much pressure on property taxpayers. Bracy said during the event that the proposal would benefit the school division.
The Portsmouth measure was one of several similar referendums that failed across the region. Voters in Isle of Wight, Mathews and York counties, as well as Newport News and Norfolk, also rejected the proposals. York County officials said the county would not have had the authority to implement its proposed additional tax, which was expected to generate approximately $12 million annually for eligible school capital projects.
In a statement Wednesday, York County School Board Chair Douglas Holroyd said the funding challenges remain despite the outcome. "We will continue working with the School Division to evaluate our capital priorities and available funding options," Holroyd said. "These decisions will require careful consideration as we balance school facility needs with the County's other responsibilities."
Some Portsmouth voters had backed the proposal, including Churchland High School graduate Aiyana Wilson, who said she believed the money would benefit future generations. "It was going to a good cause. Going to a good, you know, something that's gonna to help build up the next generation and the generation after the next generation," Wilson said. Mayor Shannon Glover also urged support in September, saying on Sept. 18 that "education is an expensive endeavor and we are required as leaders and citizens to provide that education."
The Portsmouth Education Association weighed in after the vote as well. President Laura Cousins said educators see firsthand how school conditions affect student success. "While we respect the will of the voters, the failure of the referendum does not eliminate the facility needs that exist across our division," Cousins said. She added that students still deserve safe, modern and well-equipped schools, and said the association will keep advocating for investments that support student achievement and improve learning environments.
Portsmouth Public Schools said it will continue presenting its construction and renovation priorities to City Council during the budget planning process in hopes of securing funding for the projects.
