DOWNTOWN TALLAHASSEE, Fl — Leon County Schools is drafting a referendum that could appear on the November ballot to increase the ad valorem millage rate by 1 mill — a move that would generate $26 million for the district.
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The push comes as new data shows Florida ranks 50th in the nation for average teacher salary pay for the third year in a row.
According to documents from the School District, the funds would be divided among teacher salaries, school safety measures, and retention of staff for programs including arts and athletics.
Scott Mazur, President of the Leon Classroom Teachers Association, said the investment is about more than compensation.
"We want to make sure there are great people with our kids," Mazur said. "We want to make sure that people are educated, that they have not just the intellectual, academic part, but the whole person of right and wrong and being a good team player in athletics and opportunities to be creative and grow."
ABC 27 introduced you to Leon County teacher Carol Hurst from DeSoto Trail Elementary, who told us that salary is vital to her.
"I have looked at picking up second jobs, but I need to be available for my parents and I have other obligations, and everybody needs downtime," said Hurst.
For homeowners, the 1 Mill increase would mean an additional $200 in taxes on a home with a taxable value of $200,000, according to documents from Leon County Schools.
Not all school board members have embraced the proposal without reservation. Board member Alva Smith said she wanted to see school consolidation first to cut costs.
"There are a lot of things we could have done better to show our community more efficiency, and we didn't do it," Smith said.
School Board Chair Marcus Nicolas said the additional funding would give the district important flexibility.
"The increase of the millage rate gives us local flexibility to spend the dollars where they're most needed, where they're most warranted, where they're much deserved," Nicolas said.
The district says it will present ballot language for school board members to review at their next workshop on May 11. Any millage increase would need to be approved by voters in November's elections.
ABC 27 reached out to the Florida Department of Education for comment on Florida ranking 50th in the nation and for any information about upcoming budget plans for new funding for educators. They sent us this statement in response:
Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida has not only prioritized but delivered historic increases in teacher pay. Since Governor DeSantis took office, Florida has dedicated nearly $6 billion towards increasing the salaries of teachers with $1.36 billion allocated for teacher salaries this year alone. In the Floridians First budget, Governor DeSantis proposed an additional $200 million increase for the upcoming year, which would bring the investment for 2026-2027 to $1.56 billion.
This sustained investment is delivering measurable results. Florida’s average minimum salary statewide in 2023-2024 was $49,444, which reflects an increase of approximately $9,400 since 2020.
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