Every School District of Lee County school has benefited from the half cent sales tax, district officials said last week.

Voters were told the money raised through a local option tax would be used for new construction and major renovations, safety and security, technology and capital maintenance projects — and that is how the money has been spent, according to a report presented to the School Board.

The district’s Independent Sales Surtax Oversight Committee is comprised of 14 appointed independent community members who meet quarterly to determine if the use and expenditures of funds for the sales tax is consistent with what voters approved.

Chair Steve Shimp said that as of March 7, the district has received $267,742,404 through the voter-approved local option sales tax and has expended $168,131,297.

“A lot of those projects that have been fielded to date severely needed catch up,” he said of things such as air condition systems limping along. “We are making headway on a lot of things in existing facilities that are needed.”

In addition, Shimp said 100 percent of the schools in the district have received some measure of the surtax. The sales surtax has created 3,783 new student seats, which is more than a 3 percent increase.

Gateway High School, Lehigh Acres Middle School, Franklin Park Elementary School, Fort Myers Technical College and Riverdale High School are the six major projects fully, partially or substantially funded by the surtax revenues, he said.

The money also is being used for the renovation at Lehigh Senior High School.

When broken down further, $39,381,184 has been expended for safety and security.

“All district campuses have been upgraded in terms of security,” Shimp said. “Candidly, the COVID response was able to substantially help from the safety funds from the sales tax.”

The technology portion of the sales tax money used $43,406,418. Shimp said all schools have benefited from this initiative ranging from student station technology to white boards for larger classroom technology.

Another portion, capital maintenance projects, has expended $52,518,788 to improve learning environments. Projects include chillers, switchgear, cabinets, blinds, restrooms, paving, lighting, doors and windows, flooring, major painting, gutter and downspout replacement, intercom/PA systems, elevator modernizations, roof replacements, emergency generators and walkway replacements.