LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. — In November, Pasco County voters may have a decision to make: Continue paying a school tax referendum, or let it expire.
In 2022, Pasco voters approved a referendum to support school employee salaries, but it expires in June 2027. The school board voted last week to ask taxpayers for a renewal.
The tax money is used to supplement pay for both instructional and non-instructional positions, including bus drivers, teachers, custodians, and other school support staff.
Without it, Superintendent Dr. John Legg said it’ll be tough for Pasco to compete with neighboring districts, which have referendums.
“What this referendum does is it continues the pay we’ve been doing the last several years,” Legg said.
Legg said since voters approved the initial tax referendum in 2022, classroom vacancies decreased by nearly 83%, and without it, “If the voters say no to this, it would mean a drastic cut in our teachers’ pay.
“It would drop our teacher pay by 12% on average.”
The Pasco County School Board is seeking a renewal of its one mill property tax.
If passed, nothing would really change for Pasco County homeowners; they would continue paying the same tax, which Dr. Legg says is $300 per year for the average homeowner.
A Pasco school bus driver and teacher, both in their professions for over 18 years, said both they’ve personally noticed positive changes since receiving the referendum.
“The morale of faculty members has increased,” said James Washington, a Pasco County teacher. “The idea that we’ve got a community that supports us, there was a lot of vitriol in the news for months and months and months four years ago, and now it’s starting to swell in the opposite direction where people validate what teachers are again.”
Bur driver Mary Ann Brini said the referendum has made a difference.
“It’s very important to keep new staff moving in,” Brini said. “If we don’t have this, in my personal opinion, I don’t know what will happen down the line.”
Critics of the referendum say teachers and school staff shouldn’t have to rely on voters to maintain their raises.
Michelle Mandarin, a parent who hosts an education podcast, said teachers need sustainability in their salaries.
“We knew it was coming,” said Mandarin, who also is running for the District 5 school board seat. “But we did warn the board that it’s not a sustainable way to increase the pay of our teachers. We really feel like there is a way we can restructure the budget and put it into the core budget.”
Meanwhile, Legg said he is confident Pasco County voters will continue supporting education.
“The people of Pasco County value education and believe that education is important and essential for our thriving economy so I’m confident that our voters will re-affirm what they’ve already said.”
The next step is for the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners to vote on whether to put this on November’s ballot. Legg said he plans on meeting with them and he doesn’t expect any issues.
The vote may happen as soon as March.
The referendum adds from around $3,000 to $5,500 per year for staff, depending on their position.
Hillsborough and Pinellas County schools both have referendums that voters approved in recent years.
Polk County voters will be deciding on a school tax referendum in November.
Fallon Silcox
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