The Pasco County School Board is asking voters to step up to provide more funding to enable the school district to improve pay for teachers and other district personnel, except for administrators.
The board voted unanimously to pursue having the referendum question added to the November 2022 ballot.
The board is asking voters to approve up to a maximum of 1 mil in funding to be designated for improving employee pay.
In an April 5 school board workshop on the topic, it was estimated that a 1 mil increase would yield an average instructional boost of $4,000; for non-instructional, $1,700.
District calculations also show that Pasco’s median home cost of $325,000, and assuming a $25,000 homestead exemption, a property owner would pay $300 more per year, if the increase is 1 mil.
The board’s vote to pursue up to a full mil, followed persistent requests by Don Peace, president of the United School Employees of Pasco (USEP), urging the board to seek the ballot initiative.
Peace repeatedly has cited the number of district employees who are resigning or retiring, and has said the district must improve pay and fill vacancies, to stem the tide.
School board member Colleen Beaudoin made the motion to support the ballot initiative, which was seconded by board member Alison Crumbley.
Specifically, the ballot question asks for a yes or no vote on whether to levy an additional tax, not to exceed 1 mil, beginning July 1, 2023 and ending no later than June 30, 2027.
The proceeds, according to the ballot question, will be used “for essential operating expenses to maintain salaries competitive with the market, attract and retain high-quality teachers, bus drivers and other non-administrative school support employees.”
There also is a requirement for “annual reporting to Pasco County taxpayers for transparency of the use of these funds.”
“We are losing good teachers because they can’t make ends meet here,” Beaudoin said, offering many specific examples.
“We are not talking about numbers. We are talking about people you know and I know,” she added. “Pasco County Schools is the largest employer in our county. Everyone has someone in their family, their neighborhood or a friend, who works for us.”
Besides losing teachers to nearby districts that pay better, the district also is losing teachers who are leaving the field to work in industry, Beaudoin said.
“We want our teachers using their talents for our kids. We don’t want them leaving the profession,” Beaudoin said.
“How many ways can we ask our community to compromise, or settle for having substitute teachers or people with provisional certifications? Our community members want people with professional certifications who are highly qualified,” she said.
“Our community is tired of the revolving door of teachers and the lack of bus drivers that has led to inconvenient bell times and fewer child care options.
“We want the best teachers for our kids.
“We want to attract and retain the best teachers for our students, because they deserve it,” Beaudoin said.
Action needed to reduce staff departures
Board members unanimously agreed with the need to have the flexibility to go up to a full mil of additional funding.
“We’ve known for decades our salaries aren’t keeping up. The evidence and data are all there,” Crumbley said.
“I personally believe we are nearing a crisis. The teachers are leaving. Ultimately, it is about the children of Pasco County and the families.”
Board member Megan Harding agreed: “I don’t disagree. We’re short-staffed everywhere, and I’ve talked to many teachers who have left the profession, due to pay.”
In the board’s backup materials for the April 19 meeting, there were 23 instructional, five bus driver and 47 non-instructional resignations, Harding said.
“We owe it to our students, teachers, staff and the community to try for this referendum,” Harding said. “We tried for many years to put a Band-aid on the problem, and I think it’s time that we asked the community if they’re willing to help us fix it once and for all.
“We cannot be a world-class education system with one of the lowest pay scales in the region.”
After the meeting, the district released a YouTube video of Superintendent Kurt Browning, advocating passage of the referendum.
The next step is to ask the Pasco County Commission to place the referendum on the November ballot, Browning said.
The superintendent noted: “For too long, we have struggled to remain competitive with other school districts in the area. In most cases, those other school districts have already taken the step that we are taking now.
“They recognized that they couldn’t simply rely on funding from the state. They made their cases to the voters and got a referendum approved.”
As a result, other districts can offer better pay, which puts Pasco at a disadvantage, Browning said.
“Long ago, the Legislature provided a mechanism for school districts to supplement staff funding for salaries, and several school districts have already taken this step.
“It’s time for us to act,” Browning said.
“We are losing good people.
“Who could blame a teacher or a bus driver for seeking better pay in a neighboring county?
“We need to turn that around; by taking this step, we are showing our commitment to keeping our great employees working in Pasco County, and attracting more of them,” the superintendent said.
More details will be shared in coming months, Browning said.
Union president Peace has pledged USEP’s full support in working toward passage of the ballot initiative.
Published April 27, 2022
