HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Hillsborough County School leaders are breathing a sigh of relief after a property tax increase to support teacher salaries overwhelmingly passed on election night.
It's easy to see Daniela Vergara's passion for teaching as she stands in front of her 4th grade class.
But as a first-year teacher, it also comes with its challenges and a tight budget. Still, an election night boost from Hillsborough County voters gave the recent college grad some breathing room.
"I feel like I have to be pretty strict, and I'm used to it because like I said I just got out of college, but I think on the day to day, it's going to be a lot more comfortable, a lot more reassuring,” said Vergara.
Voters overwhelmingly supported Hillsborough County School's millage referendum.
For teachers and administrators like principals and assistant principals it means an increase of $6,000, with $3,000 more for support staff like bus drivers.
School leaders recognize this will help put them on a level playing field with surrounding districts and recruit and retain high-quality educators.
"Knowing that I could just go over to Pinellas and make so much more has been really hard, but this community is so important to me and then also my principal and the district leaders that I know, so I want to be here, and I want to work for the kids, so knowing that I'll be able to be compensated in a way that I can provide for myself and my family is really important,” said Emma Murray, the Assistant Principal at West Tampa Elementary.
Olwyn Watson has been a teacher for 20 years.
She was here two years ago when a similar measure didn't pass. This time around, there's a sense of relief.
“When it did pass this time, we were all in like a group text last night, ‘well this passed,’ and I was like did it?" said Watson.
It’s not only relief, but a sense of support for teachers, their job, and their role serving students.
“It's also going to just help to kind of encourage me to keep going in this field that I love so much,” said Watson.
