HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners blocked a tax agreement designed to increase pay for teachers and staff from this year's November ballot.
The ordinance failed to pass by a vote of 4-3 at Wednesday's meeting. At the end of the meeting, the board agreed to not put the tax on the ballot this year but to aim for 2026 instead.
According to the commission's agenda, the resolution would have presented voters in November with the option to vote on new taxes that would aid in raising wages for school staff.
It would be an extra dollar for every thousand dollars a home is worth, so if a home is valued at $400,000, that's $400 more a year. Two years ago, a similar effort failed by around 500 votes.
During Wednesday's meeting, some board members said while teacher pay is a problem, the cost of living is a bigger issue. They added now isn't the right time to raise property taxes for Hillsborough County residents.
Hillsborough County is the only county its size in Florida to not have the additional millage on property to go to local schools. Others, like Manatee and Sarasota, have higher teacher salaries, in part, because they impose additional millage on property.
Backed by school board members in a presser held Wednesday afternoon, Hillsborough Superintendent Van Ayres called the board's decision "puzzling" and "extremely disappointing."
Ayres then announced he would organize a special school board meeting next Tuesday at 2 p.m. to discuss seeking legal action to get the referendum back on the ballot.
"Every child deserves the best classroom experience possible," Ayres said. "We believe local voters should have the right to make this decision." The superintendent added that the issue "goes beyond Hillsborough County" and highlights "county commissioners superseding the authority of our school boards."
Watch the full presser below: