JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — This summer, Duval voters will get to decide whether to approve a property tax referendum to help retain teachers.
Jacksonville City Council has voted to add the referendum to the ballot for voters August 23 so voters can decide if they want to approve this new property tax that Duval County Public Schools says it needs to increase teacher pay. ”Voters need a voice,” said Darryl Willie, a Duval County School Board Member who represents District 4.
Since a mill is calculated at $1 per $1,000 of appraised property value, an average Jacksonville resident with a home worth $275,000 would pay $275 more each year if the increase passes.
The district has a shortage of about 400 teachers, but beyond recruiting, it says this will help with retaining veteran teachers.
”So, we have veteran teachers who are now making slightly above what a new teacher makes and no corporation, no business knows - that’s not a good model,” Willie pointed out. “We need to change that.”
If Duval voters approve it, the tax would raise $81 million dollars, and it would bump teacher salaries by about $5,000 a year.
Council member Nick Howland told Action News Jax he’s on board with the idea. ”We need to increase compensation for our teachers,” he said. But Howland was one of five council members that voted against putting the measure on the ballot for voters to decide. Instead, he wants to explore whether the district could use federal funds instead of money raised through property taxes.
Duval County Public Schools has approximately $296 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds that are currently budgeted for certain uses, but have not been drawn down yet. ”I’m exploring right now whether that could preclude having our Duval County taxpayers to foot an additional mill,” he explained. “Now’s not a good time [to raise property taxes].”
But for now it’ll be up to you, the voter, to decide if paying teachers more is worth your paying more in property taxes.
Council has until June to clarify the referendum’s language for the August ballot. The school board also plans to launch a website in the next few weeks addressing these questions and concerns for the public.