FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - South Florida school district officials and teachers are asking for the public’s support as they try to renew a key source of funding.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools officials on Tuesday pushed voters to renew a referendum that will help pay teachers and keep campuses safe.
M-DCPS Superintendent Rafael Villalobos joined teachers, parents, police and other charter school representatives to urge support for the “Secure Our Future” referendum.
“We should come together a community, as one, united, as Mr. [District 5 School Board Member Danny] Espino said, to make sure that our education is priority,” he said.
The measure, first approved in 2018 and again in 2022, provides local funding for teacher and staff pay, as well as school safety and security.
It’s set to expire July 2027, according to district officials.
“Can you imagine if we didn’t have this supplemental pay to make our teachers competitive enough to stay in Miami-Dade County Public Schools?” said Villalobos. “And then also, at the same point, our police officers that protect our children, our communities and our schools? This would be detrimental to Miami-Dade County Public Schools as a whole, because now you can lose high-quality teachers, you won’t be able to attract more teachers just because of the cost of living in Miami-Dade County.”
Meanwhile, in Broward County, a similar push is happening, as the school district has asked voters to renew and secure the “Next Generation” referendum, which was approved in 2022.
According to district officials, the money currently helps fund about $173 million a year in compensation supplements, over 390 school safety personnel and more than 220 mental health professionals.
“Everybody benefits from this referendum,” said Anna Fusco, the president of the Broward Teachers Union. “And knowing that it’s being able to be afforded to take care of our students, that takes a lot of stress off of our educators and the families.”
Broward District officials said that without renewal, the county’s public schools will lose about $358 million a year in funding for positions and pay supplements.
“The Secure the Next Generation Referendum is a renewal of the existing $1 [million] property tax. It is not a new tax or an additional millage rate,” said Broward Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn.
Voters will decide the matter on Nov. 3rd during the general election.
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