Today, Hillsborough County Public Schools will work on a millage referendum that they would like to place on the November ballot. The millage increase would cost the average homeowner around $.40/day, coming out to around $146/year. The increase would fund recruitment and retainment efforts of teachers, administrators, and staff in the district.

Hillsborough County school board members asked voters for an increase in taxes back in 2022. That referendum was held at the peak of the inflation spike and at a time when the board was negotiating with teachers for a pay raise. That referendum failed to pass by less than 600 votes.

Vice Chair of Hillsborough County Public Schools, Jessica Vaughn, says now that inflation has cooled, and voters have seen other districts increase teacher pay, it could motivate voters to support the millage increase. “I think people really got to see, like if Pasco has gone out for it, if Pinellas has gone out for it, if Orange County has gone out for it, if Miami-Dade has had to go out for it, it’s not reflective that it’s just something here in Hillsborough. This is a statewide issue,” Vaughn said. “And I do think our community, above everything else, wants to make sure that we have a very healthy, accessible, quality public education system to offer our students and our kids.”

In order to get the millage increase on the ballot in November the school board has to draft language of the referendum which is expected to begin on Tuesday.