Teacher pay, mental-health programs crucial parts of school tax vote in St. Lucie County
ST. LUCIE COUNTY — By January, halfway through last school year, there were openings for 9,000 school personnel statewide, about half of them teachers, according to the Florida Education Association.
The trend has continued into this school year and evident in the St. Lucie County School District, which has approximately 37 teacher vacancies, according to spokesperson Lydia Martin. That's a main reason local leaders and others across the community argue the renewal of a 1-mill property-tax on the Nov. 8 ballot is crucial.
If the four-year tax passes, approximately 70% of the money generated would be spent on recruiting and retaining teachers.
In the 2022-2023 school year, for example, revenue from the tax pays new teachers, without experience, an additional $1,000 their first year, according to teachers union President David Freeland.
Previous coverage: St. Lucie voters asked to renew property tax to fund teacher pay, mental health
Other referendums: Port St. Lucie voters asked to make changes to city charter at Nov. 8 election
Similar education tools: Martin County schools asking voters to renew property tax to fund safety, mental health
Teachers with one to five years experience receive an additional $2,000; six to nine years, $5,000; 10-14 years, $7,800; and at least 15 years, $10,400.
"It is vitally important to be able to retain teachers, be competitive and increase salaries across the board whether it be teachers or other staff," School Board Chairwoman Donna Mills told TCPalm. "If we do not get this passed, it will be a sad day for St. Lucie County Public Schools."
The remainder of the money pays for school resource officers (25%), expanding mental-health programs (4%) and preserving important programs (1%) such as band, music and art.
More specifically, revenue from the tax funds social workers, behavior specialists and counselors, according to the district.
If passed, the tax would generate about $25 million annually, and run July 1 through June 2027. It would cost the owner of a $185,000 home about $185 per year.
In 2019, when the issue first was on the ballot, it won with about 66% of the vote, according to the Supervisor of Elections Office.
Martin County voters approved a similar tax renewal in August by 68%. Similarly, it will pay for school safety, mental-health programs and teacher recruitment and retention.
Ensuring veteran teachers get raises — especially after the Legislature in 2020 mainly addressed only first-year teachers' base pay — is another reason for the renewal, Freeland added.
"We're competing not just locally in the state, but nationally, for a shrinking pool of candidates," he said. "And so to be able to say to people that you can make up to $10,000 more a year because of the referendum, it allows us to be very competitive."
Having money to hire additional school psychologists and pay deputies to protect students are other key components of tax issue, he said.
"It's important for mental health-counselors to be there for students who are struggling with depression or other mental illnesses. We need to teach them ways to cope, and educate them mentally, physically and academically," Mills said. " ...You never know how many people we can save by having counselors at every school."
Olivia McKelvey is TCPalm's watchdog reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach her at olivia.mckelvey@tcpalm.com, 772-521-4380 and on Twitter @olivia_mckelvey.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Teacher pay, mental-health programs crucial for St. Lucie tax renewal
