Hillsborough, Pasco voters to decide on tax referendum to support public schools

Hillsborough, Pasco school districts to ask voters for more money

County commissioners in Hillsborough and Pasco counties have approved putting a new tax hike on the primary ballot in August to support public schools.

TAMPA, Fla. - Voters in Pasco and Hillsborough counties will get to decide if they want to pay a millage tax to support public schools after county commissioners for both counties approved the measure this week.

Pasco County and Hillsborough County residents would vote in the August primary election whether to pay a one-mil tax or $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. Hillsborough's commissioners approved the move Wednesday but with concerns.

"The school board members that voted to place this item on the ballot are absolutely out of their mind," said Stacy White, Hillsborough County commissioner for District 4, during Wednesday’s meeting. "Property taxes increases are never popular, and this is certainly not a good time to ask for the property tax increase with the backdrop of the inflationary pressures that we’re experiencing, gas at over $4 per gallon, the stock market off by huge margins, just a terrible time."

Commissioner White and Hillsborough County District 2 commissioner Ken Hagan voted against the resolution to approve the referendum on the election ballot.

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"An even bigger issue for me is placing the tax referendum on a primary election when historically the turnout is much lower than a general election," said Hagan. "That’s why all recent tax referendums have been on a general election. It significantly serves to disenfranchise nearly 280,000 independent or (no party affiliation) voters which are nearly one third of the electorate."

Hillsborough County school leaders said they need help as the district has 1,000 open positions.

"There’s a major gap in terms of inflation, what we’ve seen nationally and what we’ve seen from educational funding," said Addison Davis, the superintendent at Hillsborough County Schools.

Davis said the millage tax would pay for teacher raises, arts programs and workforce training.

"We understand that this timing may not be right. But every day that we wait not to be able to fill a classroom with a highly qualified skilled teacher, it exacerbates the achievement gap," said Davis.

On Tuesday, Pasco County commissioners also approved a one-mil school tax referendum for its August primary election. Pasco County Schools spokesperson Steve Hegarty said the county’s bus driver and teacher shortages frustrate parents, and the referendum offers a solution. 

"So that means that, you know, if you're a bus driver, and you see that you can get paid better in Hillsborough County or in Pinellas County, you might leave, and we could not blame them for doing that," said Hegarty. "This is a solution that many other school districts have already taken advantage of, and therefore, they pay better than we do. So we're it's time for us to take action on that."

If approved, the tax referendums for both counties would be up for renewal every four years.

"I think that we are just reaching a point. I won't say it's a crisis point, but we are certainly reaching a point where it is worse now and more difficult now that is affecting the schools and affecting students," said Hegarty.

Hillsborough County Schools said the tax would bring in $146 million a year and give teachers a $4,000 raise. Pasco County Schools said the tax would bring in about $37 million a year to provide raises for all employees except administrators.