Hillsborough voters to decide on teacher pay referendum on Election Day

Property tax increase for teachers on the ballot

Aaron Mesmer reports

TAMPA, Fla. - Hillsborough County school district leaders spent the day before Election Day trying to convince voters to say "yes" to a property tax increase to boost teacher pay.

The referendum on the ballot asks voters whether they want to approve a one millage increase. The revenue would be used to give educators and support staff raises.

"It's a really big ask of our community. Right? And we're asking them to actually increase their property taxes, but we're making an investment in our schools. We're making an investment in our students," said Rob Kriete, the president of the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association. "This is not the first thing on people's minds when they go out to the polls tomorrow. So we will remind people where it's at, why it's important."

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An additional millage would cost homeowners $1 for every $1,000 of assessed taxable value. The district has said this would generate $177 million a year, which would allow teachers to receive a $6,000 pay bump, and a $3,000 increase for support staff.

"There's a huge shortage of teachers in this district," said Hillsborough school board member Nadia Combs. "We have 10,000 students without a certified teacher, and you look at surrounding districts, they've all passed the millage."

There are some voters, however, who won't be swayed.

Julie Gebhards, a member of the conservative-leaning Moms for Liberty, believes families are already cash-strapped and, with the district currently working with a $4.34 billion budget, she thinks there shouldn't be a need to ask for a tax increase.

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"We don't have that tax lever that we can just pull and get more money to use for our family," Gebhards said "They should be just taking a step back and looking at the way they're spending $4.4 billion. There has to be a better way to increase teacher pay without putting the burden on everyone else."

The school district faced several challenges getting the measure on the ballot. The vote wasn't unanimous, with two board members voting against it.

The Hillsborough County Commission then tried to block the referendum from this year's ballot, leading to a successful lawsuit from the district.

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