JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A proposal to raise Duval County property taxes to bolster teacher pay has cleared its first hurdle.
Wednesday night, the Duval County School Board passed a resolution to send a one mil increase to the voters to decide in the August primary.
This comes amid a massive teacher shortage, and Duval County Public Schools says it needs this money to help recruit and retain workers.
Before the measure can go to the voters, it must get through city council.
According to the district, city council’s vote on the move should be procedural. But council members say that’s not going to happen without a fight.
Duval County Public Schools says it’s faced with more than 1,000 open positions, including 400 teaching jobs.
“We have to give our staff a competitive advantage,” said School Board Chair Darryl Willie.
While starting salaries for Duval County teachers have been bumped up to $47,500, the district says veteran teachers are getting left behind.
A proposal for a referendum to raise property taxes to help address the issue passed its first step 6-1. The “no” vote was Board Member Charlotte Joyce.
“I think throwing money on top of a problem, that’s not going to actually get to the root of this problem,” Joyce said.
If voters approve the proposal, the district says the owner of a home worth $225,000 with a homestead exemption, would pay $17 more per month, or about $200 per year.
Some people spoke against the proposal Tuesday night.
“It’s been 483 days since you all got a half-cent sales tax,” said resident Casey Jones. “And now you’re groveling and trying to get another one?”
While the half-cent sales tax is for infrastructure, the millage rate increase would go toward operational costs like salaries, arts equipment and athletics programs.
But the district says even the proposed one mil increase would be lower than the millage rate was more than a decade ago. The superintendent says that’s because the state has mandated a steady decline in the required local millage rate, which has cost the district more than $650 million.
“We have run our education system on the cheap for decades. For decades,” said Board Member Warren Jones. “Our facilities were in disrepair and now we’ve passed a half penny to address that. Now we are addressing the needs of our teachers, our employees.”
Councilman Rory Diamond is against the proposal.
“This is absolutely ridiculous,” he said. “I’m voting no. Nine other people agree with me, then we’ll go to court to see whether or not we have a right to say no.”
If the resolution passes city council, the next step is a decision from Jacksonville voters.