HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A tax agreement designed to increase pay for teachers and staff in Hillsborough County has passed.
Now, teachers with Hillsborough County Public Schools will see a $6,000 pay boost, officials said leading up to the election. All other school employees with receive $3,000 extra per year.
In addition, the tax will add an extra dollar for every thousand dollars a home is worth. For example, 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.
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.
In July, the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners delayed the tax agreement until 2026, a move school officials took issue with immediately. The following month, commissioners agreed to put the referendum back on this year’s ballot after a judge’s order.
The tax has its critics, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who stated schools should learn to better manage rather than put the burden on taxpayers during a press conference back in July.
"I think taxpayers are sick of it," DeSantis said.
Hillsborough Public Schools joins Pinellas, Sarasota and Hernando Counties as having their own referendums to support their school districts.