Hillsborough County commissioners on Wednesday voted 4-3 to appeal a circuit judge's ruling that was supposed to clear the way for a school tax referendum to appear on November's ballot.
Speaking at a morning back-to-school press conference that coincided with the commission meeting, schools Superintendent Van Ayres said the district intends to fight back.
"We're going to do everything we can, again, to make sure (the referendum) is on the ballot in November," said Ayres.
The referendum would ask voters if they support a property tax increase meant to fund teacher and staff pay. Surrounding districts in Pinellas, Pasco, Sarasota and Manatee counties have passed such referendums.
The state's 2nd District Court of Appeal must side with the school district before Aug. 20 for the referendum to go before voters this fall.
But if the court cannot expedite a ruling by then, Ayres said the district plans to file a motion that would allow the referendum to go on the ballot while the legal battle plays out.
"I'm going to let that play out in the courts, but I said we're going to file that motion," said Ayres. "But my time and attention right now is ensuring that our students have the best classroom experience on day one."
The battle between the Hillsborough school district and county leaders has been brewing throughout the year.
The county is placing a sales tax on the ballot, a cut of which is shared with schools to fund construction and maintenance. The Community Investment Tax was first enacted 30 years ago and must be renewed by 2026.
Commissioners at odds with the district's tax request cited concerns about asking voters to approve both proposals on the same ballot during a time of high inflation.
In a compromise, the commission scaled back the school district's portion of the CIT by 20%.
Ayres said the district needs both the sales tax and proposed property tax referendum. When making his case, he frequently pointed out that revenue from the CIT funds only capital projects, while the property tax would go toward staff salaries.
Still, commissioners last month unexpectedly voted against placing the property tax referendum on the ballot.
The school district is expecting about 400 teacher vacancies and 118 bus driver vacancies in the upcoming school year, which begins Monday.
The property tax would add an assessment of $1 per $1,000 in taxable value, bringing in an estimated $177 million a year from 2025 through 2028. Each year, the money would cover salary supplements of $6,000 for teachers and administrators and $3,000 for other personnel.
