Voters Approve Bond To Improve Broward Schools
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FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) -- Voters in Broward County were able to weigh in on whether to approve an $800 million bond to improve the county's public schools.
Seventy-three percent of voters approved the bond on Tuesday evening with 433 of 577 precincts reporting.
School district officials said the money is crucial to improving aging facilities and upgrading technology in the sixth largest school district in the country.
"I have two girls in school and it's important to me they get the money they need," said parent Meg Cairns.
State budget cuts are being cited as a reason why the county needed the bond money.
Superintendent Robert Runcie had said the bond means investing in the future of the kids.
In May, the district opened up Northeast High School in Ft. Lauderdale to the media to illustrate the pressing needs.
READ: Broward School In Need Of Makeover Wants Voter Approval For $800M School Bond Issue
The school was built 50 years ago and, the principal said, it's crumbling from the inside out. The tour
All around the school, there are holes in the walls. Ceilings are stained from leaky roofs and exterior walls have mold.
According to Runcie if the referendum passed, it means an average $50 per year tax increase on a home worth $250,000. Over 30 years that would add up to about $1500 for the average homeowner.
Miami-Dade voters approved a $1.2 billion school bond back in 2012.
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