The “Eat for Education” meals tax continues to bring in more money for Roanoke City Schools than last year, generating almost $1.2 million from July through September. But as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, the debate is turning now toward whether to extend it.
[audio:http://wfirnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/11-11-EatEducation-Wrap2-WEB.mp3|titles=11-11 EatEducation Wrap2-WEB]The 2% tax expires in June, and now, the NAACP Roanoke Branch wants City Council to extend it, calling for two more years at 1.5%. NAACP officials say the additional money have succeeded in raising Roanoke students’ achievement scores and graduation rates.
Any more to extend the meals tax increase is likely to encounter resistance from some of the City Council members who enacted it. Some tell us they are reluctant to consider such an extension, believing it would break the two-year promise they made to Roanoke residents when first approving it.
