PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Florida Primary Election Day is nearly here, and while political ads from candidates have been bombarding viewers for weeks now, there's another proposal on Pasco County ballots that may be unknown to some voters.
A county school board referendum is on the ballot. Supporters say it would raise property taxes to give Pasco schools a financial boost.
The ballot language reads:
Shall the District School Board of Pasco County levy an additional operational ad valorem millage not to exceed one mill beginning July 1, 2023, and ending no later than June 30, 2027, for essential operating expenses to maintain salaries competitive with the market, attract and retain high-quality teachers, bus drivers, and other non-administrative school support employees and with annual reporting to Pasco County taxpayers for transparency of the use of these funds.
The referendum aims to create better schools with these additional funds, a pitch that, at face value, sounds simple enough.
Teacher pay in Florida is among the lowest in the nation. Pasco, in particular, trails multiple counties in terms of financial incentives, ranking below Hillsborough and Pinellas, among others. Better wages might even help the bus driver shortage that has plagued Pasco this school season.
But others feel the tax increase will do little to change these issues while costing homeowners, citing that the funds the referendum is seeking are already there.
Residents would be asked to pay a one-mill tax, equal to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. Homeowners with houses valued at around $150,000 would pay $125 annually. The tax itself would last four years.
With Pasco teachers seeking higher-paying jobs in other counties, many school board members feel like getting a "no" vote may be the last straw.
"We are losing a lot of people. We are having trouble recruiting people," school district spokesperson Steve Hegarty told ABC Action News in July. "And that solution is the same solution that other districts have come up with over the last several years."
