Hillsborough County Public Schools

Set to open in time for the fall 2025 semester, the vocational school will offer workforce training in welding, industrial electricity, HVAC systems and more.

An appeals court agreed that the Hillsborough County School Board had the authority to decide when the proposal would go before voters.

County leaders are refusing to place the school district's property tax question on the November ballot even after a judge's ruling telling them to comply. The district says it will fight back.

A judge ruled in favor of the school district, which filed a lawsuit after county commissioners voted to delay the referendum until 2026.

The rules come after multiple discussions on how to balance restrictions with student freedom. The district policy does allow for some exceptions.

The lawsuit comes after the county commission unexpectedly voted to delay a tax referendum that would fund teacher salaries by two years.

Negotiations typically stretch into the fall or even spring semester. But, this year, teacher union leaders and school officials landed a swifter compromise.

For decades, Pizzo K-8 operated on the University of South Florida Tampa campus. But the terms of a new lease agreement between the district and university could push the school to move.

Schools will still be part of the Community Investment Tax, but their share will be cut significantly, potentially impacting future capital projects. Voters must renew the CIT in November.

A proposed local property tax increase could generate almost $180 million that would go mainly towards increasing teacher and staff pay.

The Tampa Bay area's largest teachers union, the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association, was just shy of the required number of members.

The Community Investment Tax (CIT) has funded schools since 1996, but county commissioners are debating whether to keep the district in its tax plan.