Pinellas County School Board votes to send millage increase ballot measure to residents
LARGO, Fla. (WFLA) — In a 7-to-0 unanimous vote during Tuesday morning’s regular meeting, the Pinellas County School Board voted overwhelmingly to approve ballot language that would ask voters to allow for a millage increase in 2025.
“It’s locally authorized, it’s locally raised, it’s locally controlled,” said Beth Rawlins of Citizens for Pinellas Schools. “We keep every penny of it to go into our classrooms.”
Pinellas County residents have been paying a one-half mill property tax for the last 20 years towards the school district, most recently renewing it in 2020.
“Elected officials in Tallahassee have not funded our schools properly,” said Pinellas County resident Tim Conroy during Tuesday’s meeting.
The proposed increase would double the tax to one mill.
“First off, we supplement teacher pay,” Rawlins explained. “This would allow for supplement for teacher pay in Pinellas County to about $11,000 a year, which is pretty substantial, and would help us to hire the best and the brightest for Pinellas classrooms.”
Citizens for Pinellas Schools supports the increase and said it would give support personnel about $2,900 more per year as well.
But not everyone was in favor.
“I could go on and on and on with all the stupid buildings that waste the taxpayers’ money,” said Mark Klutho, Largo resident. “That could go to teachers’ salaries.”
But the board said the money for buildings is a different budget and pool of funds than teacher salaries, and the money can’t be transferred.
“You shake the trees as much as you can,” said School Board Chair Laura Hine. “But, then, in order to provide anything else meaningful, it does require additional revenue. And we don’t take that lightly.”
The school board hopes this will also help hire bus drivers, school nurses and school resource officers to keep the district relevant.
“All of our surrounding districts have a full mill, with the exception of Hillsborough who will have it on the ballot in November,” Rawlins said. “It’s time to step up our game again. We need to stay competitive, Pinellas needs to have the best and the brightest, most wonderful programs.”
The money would also be shared with public charter schools, and all spending would be overseen by an independent citizens financial oversight committee.
If approved by voters in November, this increased tax would start July 1, 2025 and go until June 30, 2029.
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