Orange County voters will again decide the fate of the school district’s one-mill property tax this November, but without the ironclad teacher pay guarantee many educators had been hoping for. In a split vote Tuesday, the Orange County School Board advanced the one-mill referendum to the fall ballot while rejecting language that would have locked the money in for teacher raises. The 5-3 decision keeps control of how the dollars are spent in the hands of the board and district leaders, a move that quickly drew fire from the teachers’ union and from members who wanted a clearer promise for paychecks.
What the ballot asks
The referendum will ask voters to renew the district’s one-mill ad valorem tax for another four years. According to the ballot wording, the tax could generate an estimated $261 million a year if approved. District officials say that revenue is slated to preserve academic programs and support school-based salaries and services. The board agreed to send that language to the November ballot without adding any clause that would guarantee annual teacher pay increases, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel.
How the one‑mill is spent
Orange County Public Schools’ One Mill reports show the levy currently brings in about $230.5 million a year and pays for everything from arts and athletics to staff compensation. For 2024–25, district documents list roughly $103 million for academic programs, about $66.8 million for arts teachers, and more than $9 million for coaches and athletic trainers. OCPS materials and the ballot language describe the mill as a way to help cover gaps left by state funding shortfalls, according to Orange County Public Schools.
Board split and arguments
Five members — Maria Salamanca, Alicia Farrant, Vicki-Elaine Felder, Teresa Jacobs, and Melissa Byrd — voted to place the measure on the ballot. Anne Douglas, Angie Gallo, and Stephanie Vanos opposed the move because they wanted some of the revenue specifically reserved for teacher raises. Those members argued the district should make recurring educator pay a top priority. Supporters countered that earmarking money could limit the district’s flexibility if revenues drop. Superintendent Maria Vazquez also warned that guaranteeing raises from the referendum could force the district to cut hundreds of positions to keep the budget balanced, a concern shared in the boardroom and summarized by the Orlando Sentinel.
Union reaction and next steps
The Orange County Classroom Teachers Association says it is not backing off its push to channel referendum dollars toward educators. OCCTA President Clinton McCracken has vowed to keep pressing district leaders on how the money will be used. District staff will now work with county election officials to place the question on the Nov. 3 general-election ballot and, if voters give the green light, begin collecting and distributing the funds under the four-year measure. OCPS and OCCTA materials outline how the mill is administered and lay out the association’s and district’s positions, according to OCCTA and OCPS.
Why this matters
OCPS has been dealing with a prolonged enrollment decline that has cost the district about $41 million in state funding this school year, leading to consolidation efforts and staffing cuts. With teacher pay and staffing already a hot-button issue, the November referendum will test how willing voters are to keep the surtax in place and how firmly they expect the district to steer any new revenue toward raises instead of other programs, according to Central Florida Public Media.
