TAMPA, Florida. – Hillsborough County school district leaders spent the day before Election Day trying to convince voters to say “yes” to a property tax increase to increase teacher pay.

The referendum on the ballot asks voters if they want to approve a one-mile increase. The revenue would be used to give raises to educators and support staff.

“That’s a really big ask from our community. Right? And we’re asking them to raise their property taxes, but we’re investing in our schools. We’re investing in our students,” Rob Kriete said. , president of the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association. “It’s not the first thing that comes to people’s minds when they go to the polls tomorrow. So we’re going to remind people where this is, why it’s important.”

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An extra mile would cost homeowners $1 for every $1,000 of assessed taxable value. The district said it would generate $177 million a year, giving teachers a $6,000 pay raise and a $3,000 raise for support staff.

“There is a huge teacher shortage in this district,” said Hillsborough school board member Nadia Combs. “We have 10,000 students without a certified teacher, and if you look at the surrounding districts, they’re all over the hump.”

However, there are some voters who will not be swayed.

Julie Gebhards, a member of the conservative Moms for Liberty party, believes families are already cash-strapped, and with the district currently working with a $4.34 billion budget, she thinks it shouldn’t be necessary to ask for a tax increase.

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“We don’t have that tax leverage that we can just use to get more money to use for our family,” Gebhards said. “They should just take a step back and look at how they’re spending $4.4 billion. It might be a better way to increase teacher pay without putting the burden on everyone else.”

The school district faced several challenges getting the measure on the ballot. The vote was not unanimous, with two board members voting against.

The Hillsborough County Commission then attempted to block the referendum from this year’s ballot, resulting in a successful lawsuit by the district.

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