Pasco County school leaders are asking voters to keep a key local property tax in place, warning that thousands of teachers, bus drivers and other staff could see a big cut to their paychecks if the levy expires.
This week, the District School Board signed off on a request to the county to place a renewal of the one-mill property tax on the November ballot. Officials say the money has become essential to staying competitive in the tight education job market and to holding on to the staffing gains the district has made in recent years. Supporters argue the pay supplement is now baked into how many employees plan their finances, and that a "no" vote would shrink take-home pay for a large slice of the workforce.
At a February meeting, the board voted unanimously to ask the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners to put the renewal before voters in the November general election, as reported by Hernando Sun. The ballot question would extend the one-mill measure that voters first approved in August 2022 for another four-year term, before the current levy runs out. Board members said they do not intend to grow or significantly change the program, but to largely preserve what voters already put in place.
What The Renewal Would Fund
District documents show almost all of the revenue from the levy is dedicated to pay supplements, with a smaller portion available for school safety supports. According to the district’s published guidance on referendum supplements, instructional staff now receive annual supplements that generally range from about $2,000 to $7,245, while non-instructional employees average roughly $2,100 per year. The exact amount depends on an employee’s contract and years of service, and the district explains the formulas and payout schedule in its referendum materials on the Pasco County Schools website.
Local reporting and district presentations cited at school board meetings show that, for many workers, those referendum dollars now make up about 12 percent of total pay. On average, teachers are getting roughly $5,000 per year from the levy and support staff about $3,000. District officials point to clear staffing changes since the tax kicked in: the number of teacher vacancies has dropped from the hundreds to around 55 this school year, with about 39 bus driver openings, trends that supporters say could reverse quickly if the renewal fails. As Hernando Sun noted, an independent citizens oversight committee keeps watch on how referendum funds are spent.
Superintendent John Legg has been blunt about what is at stake. He told local reporters that the levy underpins the district’s ability to recruit and retain staff in a competitive market, and warned that if voters reject the renewal "it would drop our teacher pay by 12% on average," according to coverage by Bay News 9. Trustees have cited district presentations that credit the supplements with boosting both hiring and retention for instructional and non-instructional roles.
Next Steps And Timeline
The school board has formally asked the Pasco County Commission to put the renewal question on the November ballot. The commission still has to vote to accept the request and officially schedule the referendum. For planning purposes, the Pasco Supervisor of Elections lists the 2026 general election date as November 3, 2026. The Tampa Bay Times published a photo from a March 24 meeting that showed county leaders publicly backing the move to send the question to voters.
District materials repeatedly note that the referendum pay supplements are non-recurring and completely dependent on voter approval, and that a citizens oversight committee monitors how the money is used and reports to the public. The memorandum of understanding and other referendum documents also spell out that the levy authorizes up to one mill per year and that collections started in late 2023. Voters will now be asked whether to keep that locally approved supplement in place for another four-year stretch, or to let it expire and accept the financial hit that comes with it.
