Hillsborough voters to decide this year on property tax increase for schools, teacher pay

The question " Are teachers paid enough? " is on a banner in men's hands with blurred background. Wealth. Salary. Bank. Banking. Budget. Career. Coin. Corporate. Course. Dollar. Teach. Capital

Hillsborough County voters will get the opportunity to vote this November on whether to levy a new property tax to fund teacher and other school staff salary increases after a Judge ruled to force the Hillsborough County Commission to act by Aug. 13.

That’s the deadline Circuit Judge Emily Peacock gave the Commission in her order for the board to adopt a resolution that would put the referendum on this year’s ballot, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The order overrules a previous Commission action that would have delayed the referendum until 2026. All of the Republicans in the board’s majority — Donna Cameron Cepeda, Ken Hagan, Christine Miller and Josh Wostal — voted on July 17 to postpone the ballot initiative.

The county sued over the vote, prompting Peacock’s ruling. Last week, she notified the county that she would not set a hearing on the matter and instead would rule by Monday. Supporters of the referendum needed certainty by Aug. 20 in order to ensure adequate time for the ballot language to appear on printed ballots.

The property tax, if approved, would add a new assessment of $1 per $1,000 in taxable value. It would draw an estimated $177 million a year in new revenue for Hillsborough County Schools, that state’s third largest School District. It would fund $6,000 supplements for teachers and administrators and $3,000 for support staff each year, for four years. After the four-year initial period, voters would be asked to reauthorize the property tax assessment.

Organizers for the initiative kicked off the “Vote Yes for Students” campaign on Thursday, even as the Judge’s ruling was imminent. The campaign is supported by the Hillsborough Students Deserve Better political action committee.

Supporters argue the additional revenue is needed to attract teachers — and keep existing teachers — amid an ongoing staff shortage. Starting teacher pay in Hillsborough County last school year was $47,500. The District and teacher’s union tentatively reached an agreement in June to raise starting teacher pay by $500, to $48,000, according to reports.

Florida recently ranked second-to-last in average teacher pay, according to a report from the National Education Association, which calculated the average teacher salary in the state at just over $53,000. The report ranked Florida 16th in the nation for average starting teacher salary, which is $47,178 — less than Hillsborough County’s starting pay.

In January, Hillsborough County Schools officials said the district had more than 400 positions open for the 2023-24 school year, according to News Channel 8. By comparison at the time, Pinellas County Schools had more than 100 openings. There, starting teacher pay is $52,000.