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Hillsborough County voters will have the opportunity to strengthen our schools and community by deciding on increasing the ad valorem tax by one mil. This one mil ad valorem tax will be on the primary election ballot to:
- Increase salaries to recruit and retain teachers and staff
- Expand art, music, and physical education
- Expand workforce development and workforce education programs
Because of inadequate funding from the state and federal government, these additional dollars are necessary to support the 7th largest school district in the nation.
Hillsborough County Public Schools currently has more than 220,000 students and 23,815 employees – of which 14,181 are teachers.
Superintendent Presentation
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Referendum Ballot Language
Shall The School Board of Hillsborough County levy an ad valorem operating millage of 1 mil annually for fiscal years July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2027, to (i) increase compensation to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers and staff, (ii) expand art, music, and physical education, (iii) expand workforce development, sharing funds with charter schools proportionate with student enrollment as required by law, with annual reporting to ensure proper stewardship of funds to taxpayers?
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Resolution
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Community Stakeholder Presentation
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How to Calculate One Millage Increase
To calculate the cost of a one-millage increase on your property, owners should divide the total taxable value of their home or business by 1,000.
Average increase for a homeowner is $.61/day or $18.48/month based on the median market value of $246,808 for an average home in Hillsborough.
Timeline
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April 12 – School Board Workshop on the millage referendum
April 19 – The School Board of Hillsborough County approved Resolution 22-500
May 4 – Hillsborough County Board of County Commission considers placing Resolution 22-500 on August 23, 2022, primary election ballot
June 13 – Final ballot language is submitted to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
April-August – Community meetings to share information about the millage referendum
August 23 – Voters decide whether to approve the referendum during the primary election
Current Challenges
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Hillsborough County ranks 45th among 67 Florida districts in state and local per-pupil funding.
- Instructional vacancies have increased 220% over the six years; 44% since the start of the pandemic.
- Inflation has significantly outpaced the increases in education funding over the last 15 years.
- Florida ranks 45th in total per-pupil funding nationally.
- Surrounding school districts have secured additional revenue through local voter-approved referendums and other local sources that provide a competitive advantage over Hillsborough County.
- School districts have not received discretionary lottery funding in the past two years.
- Florida has 4,000 instructional vacancies, and 9,000 vacancies are anticipated by the end of the year.
- There are an average of 400 instructional and 575 support staff vacancies in Hillsborough County Public Schools throughout this school year.
- The cost of living in Tampa has risen over 10% since 2019, which makes recruiting and retaining staff more difficult.
- Local employers pay higher wages, and teachers have a broad range of attractive skills to private industries.
- Increased student enrollment will create demand for additional teachers and support staff when it is already challenging to fill its vacancies.
Referendum Details
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The projected $146 million received annually would be explicitly used in the following manner:
- About 16% of the total revenue would be shared with charter schools proportionate to enrollment.
- Assuming a 96% collection rate and subtracting the charter share, this would provide the district with about $116 million annually.
- 75% to 80% of the district share of funds would be used to increase compensation for instructional positions (teachers, counselors, media specialists, etc.), bus drivers and transportation assistants, classroom assistants, and other non-instructional support staff.
- This could enhance the average instructional salary by $4,000 and the average non-instructional salary by $2,000.
- About 20% of the district's share of funds would be used to protect and expand art, music, PE, and workforce education as follows:
- Add 45 art teachers, 67 music teachers, and 37 PE teachers to Elementary schools to ensure all grade levels, including Kindergarten, receive exceptional learning experiences.
- Dedicate funds to repairing and replacing art supplies, art equipment, music instruments, band uniforms, audio/visual equipment, expanding health courses in middle school, and PE equipment.
- Dedicate funds to expanding workforce education programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why is the School Board asking voters to approve a one mil increase in ad valorem taxes?
The national teacher and support staff shortage is alarming. Over the last two years, our district has experienced an increase in resignations and retirements, which have created more than 1,000 unfilled positions in the district. Experienced, successful teachers earn salaries only slightly higher than early careerteachers. Because of this, many teachers are moving on to higher-paying surrounding counties or changing careers completely. The one mil increase is primarily designed to retain experienced teachers, compensate support staff (such as bus drivers, maintenance workers, food service staff, custodial staff, and other non-instructional staff), and meet operational needs in art, music, PE, and workforce education. Voter approval is needed to increase funding.
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How much money will the one mil bring into the district, and for how long?
It is estimated to bring in about $146 million a year. The increase will end in four years unless renewed by voters.
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How much of a raise will that mean for the average teacher?
All compensation by law must be negotiated through the collective bargaining process. Still, it is estimated that the average increase in compensation could be about $4,000 a year for instructional staff and $2,000 for non-instructional staff.
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Why isn’t there enough money to pay out of the operational budget?
The state has mandated a steady decline in the Required Local Millage rate each year beginning in 2013 from 5.629 in 2013 to 3.601 today, costing the district nearly $975 million over those years. Even if the one mil passes, the rate will still be lower than the 2013 level.
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What about all that money the district received from the American Recovery Act?
These are one-time stimulus funds to make up for student learning loss during the pandemic and expire in September 2024.
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Where will this money go besides teacher compensation?
In addition to supporting non-instructional staff and charter schools, the district plans to use approximately 20% of its share of funds to improve art, music, PE, and workforce education programs. The district would place an additional 45 art, 67 music, and 39 physical education teachers in our elementary schools to ensure that every student has access to these programs, including Kindergarteners who do not currently receive these learning experiences. The funds would also be used to upgrade musical instruments, art equipment/supplies, stage lighting, audio equipment, and physical education instructional materials/equipment. Additionally, the district will expand course offerings in workforce development — welding, electricians, construction, plumbers, and the like. We believe these programs are vital to helping support well-rounded young men and women and positively impact our local economy. Finally, approximately 16% of the total funds will go to students in charter schools.
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Why not wait for the general election in November to put it on the ballot instead of the primary election in August?
Our district, like many others, continues to lose highly-qualified and talented instructional staff as they leave for higher-paying positions. The quicker our district can have a clear understanding of funding coming to the district and negotiate increased salaries for teachers and staff, the better chance we have to recruit and retain the best and brightest educators and support staff who will positively impact our children's education. The general election in November will be a very long ballot highlighted by the Governor’s race. Our low-budget school referendum information effort may get lost in all of that media attention, so we feel it’s best to place it on the August ballot when the public can hear all the relevant information.
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What is the cost of the one-mil increase for property owners?
Property owners would pay $1 for every $1,000 in assessed value. For example, for a property valued at $246,808 (median market value in Hillsborough) with a homestead exemption applied, an owner would pay about $18.48/month or $222/year.
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Doesn’t the lottery help pay for education?
Hillsborough County Public Schools receives no lottery funding. Lottery funds pay for Bright Future (College) Scholarships and School Recognition Funds but have not been allocated since 2020.
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What is the economic impact of investing in quality schools?
Economic growth is directly related to the skills of our workforce, and obtaining those skills is heavily dependent on our schools. Furthermore, investing in quality public schools improves academic performance, community safety, and makes our county more attractive to businesses, which creates high-quality jobs and raises our property values.
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Isn’t this the wrong time to ask for a tax increase with inflation and rising property values already creating higher costs?
Our district realizes any tax increase can be a heavy lift for families. The decision is based on critical needs in Hillsborough County Public Schools. Like many industries, our district is facing staffing shortages. Throughout the current school year, we have had 350-460 instructional vacancies and 150-160 bus driver vacancies, and nearly 550 vacancies in other areas of critical need. We are losing teachers for a variety of reasons, including retirement. To compete with surrounding districts, we must be able to provide a competitive compensation package for teachers and staff so children have the best educators.
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How can the public be assured that the district is spending money as it should?
The district’s financial data and audits are fully available to the public on its Accounting Services webpage. For 20 straight years, the Accounting Department has received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association. Based on the success of the Citizen Oversight Committee, which oversees the half-penny sales tax Education Referendum, the district would develop a similar structure to review the spending and progress related to funds generated by the one mil ad valorem tax. District leaders created the Citizen Oversight Committee, which meets monthly to oversee and discuss the school improvement projects that the Education Referendum funds. All expenditures associated with the ad valorem increase will be published on the District's website annually.
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Didn’t the Governor and Legislature give teachers a raise?
The state provided funding to increase the minimum starting teacher salary to $47,500. This only impacted a third of our teachers. However, experienced teachers only received small raises, and many found themselves making the same or slightly more than beginning teachers, creating a significant disparity. This is one of the reasons our experienced teachers are leaving the profession.
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Why are teachers leaving the profession?
According to a National Education Association Survey in January of 2022, 50% of teachers plan to leave education sooner than expected and 96% said support for raising educator salaries is necessary to address burnout. There are 567,000 fewer educators in America’s public schools than two years ago. In a local teacher questionnaire, higher pay is a top priority.
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Do other school districts also have a millage referendum?
Yes. When comparing Florida’s five largest school districts and Pinellas County, Hillsborough County Public Schools is the only district that has not passed an operational millage. The 21 Florida counties that have successfully implemented a millage referendum have gained a competitive advantage by attracting high-quality talent and providing exceptional student experiences. Other school districts considering a referendum or renewal in 2022 include Pasco, Sarasota, Duval, Brevard, and Palm Beach.
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How does Hillsborough County Public Schools compare to other large school districts in Florida in total per-pupil funding?
Because other school districts have additional revenue approved by voters, Hillsborough County Public Schools is the lowest total per-pupil funding among the large Florida school districts.
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Which staff members would benefit from the salary increases?
Classroom Teachers, School Counselors, School Psychologists, School Social Workers, Intervention Teachers, Media Specialists, Other instructional and administrative staff, Instructional and Classroom assistants, Food and Nutritional Services employees, Bus Drivers, Transportation Assistants, Custodial Services, School Maintenance, Clerical staff, After School Enrichment Program staff, & all other instructional support staff.
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What is the difference between this one mil ad valorem referendum and the half-penny sales tax Education Referendum passed in November 2018?
The Half-Penny Referendum that passed in 2018 can only be used to improve our schools' facilities and other capital projects – overhauling air conditioning units, replacing aging roofs, painting school buildings, and repaving parking lots, among other necessary projects. The one mil ad valorem increase can be used to assist operational expenses such as compensation and programmatic needs.
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Why would property owners in Hillsborough County who do not have children in Hillsborough County Public Schools agree to pay more?
Public education impacts everyone. It results in higher incomes, better jobs, rising property values, and a healthy economy. Today’s students are our doctors, nurses, engineers, and technicians of tomorrow. Our parents, grandparents, and neighbors paid for education for each of us. Investing in the next generation is a time-honored American value. Supporting public education speaks volumes about our community, economy, safety, and future.
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Is the district currently on sound financial footing?
Superintendent Addison Davis and the leadership team have worked tirelessly over the last two years to bring the district out of a $150 million financial deficit. Many tough decisions were made, such as installing a hiring freeze, phasing out more than 1,000 instructional and non-instructional positions, reassigning approximately 400 staff to ensure that support was provided to schools with the greatest need, implementing new budget controls to limit new hires/expenditures, renegotiating contracts with vendors, and eliminating district positions to create cost savings for the district. To ensure we are more in line with other like-size districts, Hillsborough County Public Schools has reduced staff, going from 26,857 in 2017-18 to now 23,815 in 2021-22. By the end of this fiscal year, the district is estimating that we will have successfully turned around the district’s financial deficit – closing out with an operational surplus for the first time in more than ten years. While this is excellent news, there is still much work to accomplish. The national teacher and staff shortage has prompted many districts to seek a voter-approved increase in ad valorem tax to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers and staff.
Printable Flyers
In the News
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EdWeek Article
Teacher Salaries Aren't Keeping Up With Inflation. See How Your State Compares. Soaring inflation is chipping away at any progress made to teacher salaries in recent years, according to a new report by the nation’s largest teachers’ union.
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2022 Primary Election
Deadline to Register: July 25
Early Voting Begins: August 8-21
Election Day: August 23
Register to vote>> Florida Online Voter Registration System