TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners overstepped its authority by delaying a tax agreement designed to increase pay for teachers and staff from the November ballot, a court ruled Monday.
District leaders voted 5-2 in April to send the referendum to voters, with those in support saying there was no time to lose in an attempt to increase teacher pay and attract more employees. Opponents against said times are too tough to ask taxpayers to fork over more money.
In the ruling by the District Court of Appeal, the court cited, in part, a state statute that allows the Hillsborough County School Board to direct county commissioners to call an election.
Voters will now have a chance to vote on the tax referendum during the November general election. If approved, the tax would be an extra dollar for every thousand dollars a home is worth. 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.
"One need only look to the facts of this case for demonstration," the order reads. "Here, the School Board exercised its tax authority and control over the substance of the measure for the ballot...In refusing to call the election as directed by the School Board, the County Commissioners have effectively overridden the School Board's decision as to the dates the tax should be imposed and its control over the language of the measure."
Hillsborough County is the only county its size in Florida to not have the additional millage on property to go to local schools.
Backed by school board members in a news conference after county commissioners first blocked the referendum, Hillsborough Superintendent Van Ayres called the board's decision "puzzling" and "extremely disappointing."
Ayres was pleased with the decision on Monday.
"(The appellate court) agreed with the school district. They sent a clear message today that this decision will be up to the residents of Hillsborough County," Ayres said. "Over the next few months, it will now be our responsibility to educate the community on the need for the additional funding and how the funding will be spent to ensure every student in our district has the best classroom experience possible."
Hillsborough County leads the state in the number of teacher openings, according to Florida Education Association citing its count of advertised job openings on each school district's website. Data from the Florida Department of Education shows the average salary in Hillsborough at $57,252 for the 2023-24 school year.
The district says it would raise an additional $177 million a year for four years and teachers would get a $6,000 boost. Other school employees would get $3,000 more per year.
Previous 10 Tampa Bay reporting contributed to this report.