Majority of referendum money would go to teachers, Broward school board decides
After a nearly nine-hour meeting Tuesday, the Broward County School Board agreed on how to divide millions in potential countywide referendum dollars if voters renew a property tax on the November ballot.
Under the proposal approved May 5, about 90% of the estimated $282.6 million generated by the referendum would go toward employee pay supplements for teachers and other school-based staff. The remaining 10% of the funds will be divided between two buckets: mental health support, and safety and security services.
If voters reject the measure in November, the district’s current 1-mill operating tax will expire at the end of this year instead of being extended through Dec. 31, 2030.
The vote followed hours of public comment from teachers, union members and residents, many of whom supported the 90/10 split but voiced worry over the district’s lack of transparency and mismanagement of past referendum dollars.
Others shared concerns about the district’s current hiring freeze and the potential impact on staffing shortages and student services across Broward schools.
“The issue here isn’t just about funding, I mean let’s be honest, it’s about trust,” McNab Elementary School second grade teacher Maureen McHugh said at the meeting. “Trust that this board damaged with their teachers as well as taxpayers.”
McHugh criticized previous spending decisions that allowed some administrative staff to receive referendum-funded bonuses.
“The reality is we’ve seen referendum dollars go to high-paid administrative positions that are far, far removed from the classroom and quite frankly, already making too much money, while the people working directly with students are being asked to do more with far less,” McHugh said. “Please don’t mess this up for us.”
Under Superintendent Howard Hepburn’s initial recommendation, there would be an 80/13.5/6.5 split, with about $226 million directed toward employee supplements, $38.1 million towards safety and security, and $18.4 million to mental health services.
Hepburn warned that moving to a 90/10 split could require the district to downsize positions currently funded through the referendum dollars, “especially in the first year,” he said.
Based on February staffing reports, there are 210 total referendum-based positions, 191 of which are filled.
The referendum would mark the district’s third voter-approved tax initiative.
The current referendum, approved by voters in 2022, allocates 75% of funds toward employee bonuses and 25% toward safety and security services and mental health.
The current property tax increase equates to about $100 per $100,000 in assessed property, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Much of Tuesday’s discussion, however, centered on fallout from a 2024 decision that quietly removed salary restrictions for administrators receiving referendum-funded bonuses.
The board voted in 2023 to omit the district’s highest-paid admin from receiving the additional pay.
That limitation was later removed, without public discussion, leading to backlash after it became public that some staff making more than $200,000 annually received bonuses as high as $14,000.
Board member Adam Cervera referenced the controversy during Tuesday’s meeting.
“We took hundreds of thousands of dollars that was meant for our great teachers and school-based staff. And what did we do with it? We gave it to a bunch of folks in this very room and in this building who had no right to that money,” Cervera said. “We also broke trust with the public, which is a big concern to me, especially with this coming back on the ballot come November.”
The allocation percentage will guide how the district plans its budget and operation from fiscal year 2028 through 2031.
Board member Rebecca Thompson argued the district later corrected the course. In January, the board voted to stop the payments moving forward, though employees were not required to repay money they had already received.
Thompson, along with board member Debra Hixon, argued the district cannot rely on state funding to fully fund teacher salaries and other school system needs without local tax measures.
The district plans to negotiate exact supplement amounts with unions and employee groups after the election.
The language for the Broward School referendum language for the Nov. 3 election ballot:
Fund School Employee Pay, Safety, and Mental Health through a One-Mill Property Tax Levy
To enhance school safety and mental health services, recruit and retain highly qualified teachers and essential employees, improve student achievement, and support critical school operations, shall the School Board of Broward County continue to levy a one-mill ad valorem property tax from January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2030, to fund school safety personnel, mental health services, increased compensation for teachers, and school-based and support staff for public and charter schools?
