Superintendent Nichols calls for continuation of Madison half-cent tax for city schools
MADISON – Madison City Schools’ student body is growing exponentially, but unfortunately for the school district, funding is threatening to shrink.
In 2012, Madison implemented a half cent sales tax to fund the construction of a second high school to accommodate the growing population. The tax, originally paid to build James Clemens High School, gives the district around $3.6 million each year.
Since then, the district has averaged an additional 353 students each year in the last 13 years and has built four new schools.
Now, the half cent tax is set to expire in 2027, and extending it will be left up to a new city council after the Aug. 26 municipal election.
In Madison, the sales tax rate is 9%, except in the Limestone County portion of the city. The sales tax rate there is 9.5%. It is split between the state, county and city, with Madison receiving 3.5%.
Further compounding the issue, in 2024 the Alabama legislature voted to cap property tax increases at 7%. In the past, Madison City has been reaping increases 12% to 18% due to population growth within the city. The new law is expected to cost the school district around $3.6 million a year through 2027.
“We need (the halfcent sales tax extended) so that we can do $100 million, at a minimum, of work on our two high schools, or they’re gonna be overcrowded by 500 or 600 students,” said Madison City Schools Superintendent Dr. Ed Nichols at the Madison Chamber of Commerce’s annual Back to School Breakfast last Wednesday. “So, we’re going to have to really look at how we can fund what we continue to say is the standard in Madison City Schools.”
Nichols is urging the city to extend the half- cent tax to support the district’s new elementary school, Russell Branch Elementary School, expansions to James Clemens and Bob Jones High Schools and Horizon Elementary School, and renovations to Discovery and Liberty Middle Schools.
“We need it extended in perpetuity and stay, all of it, with the school district,” said Nichols. “Our system deserves that half penny extended.”
Madison City Schools is projected to grow to a student body of 15,000 by 2030, and the district has $250 million worth of capital projects planned through 2030. The district also ranks highly in the state and nationwide with the most National Board Certified Teachers and National Merit Finalists in Alabama.
