Jacksonville, Fl — The Duval County School Board voted 6-1 on Tuesday to advance a one-mill property tax increase that would fund teacher pay, recruitment and retention.
Voters would ultimately decide the fate of the tax issue, but first Jacksonville City Council Members review the plan.
BACKGROUND: How this is different that the previous sales tax hike
The school district says there are teacher shortages in every department.
A mill is calculated as $1 per $1,000 of appraised value. Currently, Duval County teachers make an average of $47,458 per year.
“With the property tax increase we would not be as far behind the ball. We would be competitive with the other large urban school districts”, said Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene.
“It’s important to retain teachers. We have a lot of teachers on their way out because they’re unhappy with multiple things — COVID, teacher pay. Imagine if we could bridge the gap”, said Monique Sampson, an Arlington Middle School teacher.
If Jacksonville City Council approves the plan, voters would decide its fate in August. Revenue generated would boost teacher pay by around $5,000 per year.