JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A presentation to the Duval County School Board on Tuesday showed a one-mill tax implemented over the past year has raised about $113 million.
The property tax hike designed to increase teacher pay, bolster arts and athletic programs and support charter schools was approved by Duval County voters in 2022.
One mill is equal to a dollar taxed for each $1,000 of a property’s assessed value, so if your home is worth $300,000, this one mill tax equates to $300 a year.
According to the data, 81% of those proceeds over the past school year went to Duval County Public Schools, while 19% went to charter schools. State statute requires charter schools to receive a portion of the money based on student enrollment.
Within the district, most of the money collected, nearly $58 million, went to teacher pay.
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Teachers at the lowest end of the pay scale this year had their salaries supplemented by $5,401 and those at the top of the pay scale got supplements of $7,041.
However, that additional pay lasts only as long as the one-mill tax is in effect, and it’s set to end in three years.
Duval Teachers United union president Tammie Brooks-Evans said she thinks there’s a better solution for raising teacher pay.
“If legislators were to fund public schools the way they’re supposed to, you would not need to have referendums where taxpayers are paying additional money,” she said.
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The one mill also raised more than $11 million for arts and athletics over the past year, resulting in new band and art supplies, as well as the installation of turf fields and playgrounds. But there’s still a budget shortfall for some projects planned with mill money.
“This is the same situation as the half penny because, at a certain point, costs have gone up, you only have so much money that you’re collecting, so you’ve got to figure out what does it look like?” Duval County School Board Chairman Darryl Willie said.
At a school board workshop on Tuesday, staff said they would present new spending plans to the board for approval in the coming months that reflect the current financial reality.