Pasco's 1-mill school salary tax is up for renewal on the Nov. 3 ballot

AI-generated illustration. A lesson-planning notebook, pencils, house key and calculator illustrate the $200 annual school-tax cost for a home assessed at $200,000. Inspired by the story and Wesley Chapel.

Pasco County voters, including property owners in Wesley Chapel, will decide on Nov. 3 whether to renew the school district's one-mill property tax that voters first approved in 2022 to boost employee pay. The School Board is asking to renew up to one mil to keep recruiting and retaining teachers and staff.

According to Pasco County Schools, the measure is the same millage approved in 2022, not an additional mil, and state law caps any renewal at four years before it must go back to voters.

What it costs a homeowner

One mil is $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value. The district's example: a home assessed at $200,000 pays about $200 a year. The district says that if a home's assessed value does not change, the owner will not see an increase from the renewal.

The tax falls only on property owners. The district's FAQ notes that residents who do not own property do not pay property taxes, so renters are not billed directly.

Where the money goes

The district says the referendum currently raises about $60 million a year to supplement eligible employee salaries, with a small share for school safety, including added personnel to respond to threats. The original 2022 request was framed around pay for teachers, bus drivers and other non-administrative employees.

The district also distinguishes the measure from Penny for Pasco, the sales tax shared with county and city governments. By law, Penny for Pasco money may be used only for capital improvements such as building and renovating schools, not salaries.

What the district says happens if it fails

Pasco County Schools says that without renewal, employees would see an approximate 12% salary reduction that cannot be replaced through other funding. It notes that state-set school millage rates have declined over the past decade and says cutting all administration would fall far short of replacing $60 million.

The district points to competition for workers: Hernando, Hillsborough and Pinellas had salary referenda passed or renewed in 2024, and Polk will put one before voters for the first time this November.

The district's FAQ also acknowledges limits. It still has openings in special education and other hard-to-fill jobs, and even with referendum money and raises averaging 3% a year since 2022, the district says its pay is close to neighboring districts in some job categories but not all.

Results the district cites

Pasco County Schools credits the referendum era with progress, noting Pasco earned a state A rating for the first time since 2008 and has no D or F schools for the first time since 2004. Pasco County Community Website reported that a district presentation also credited the tax with helping close staffing gaps that predated the 2022 vote.

Checking the details before you vote

A citizen Salary Referendum Oversight Committee, created by the School Board in 2022, reviews the budget and allowable spending under the measure and issues an annual report. The district says it would continue if voters renew the tax and that millage funds are tracked separately.

Committee minutes are posted on the district's Financial Information page, which is linked from its 2026 referendum website along with the FAQ.