Broward County School Board members unanimously voted Tuesday to allocate about $254.3 million from a countywide referendum in November to support employees who work directly in schools and have a direct impact on students, including teachers, school-based administrators and school safety personnel.
If voters approve the Nov. 3 referendum, the distribution of the money would be determined through negotiations between union bargaining groups and the school district.
A smaller amount of money — 10% of the dollars approved by referendum, or about $28.1 million — would be shared among mental health, and security and safety personnel. The board would decide the portions to be split among the groups.
Voters will be asked if they’d like to renew a property tax increase they first approved in 2022 that’s equal to $100 per $100,000 in assessed property.
“ Everything that happens here in Broward County Public Schools is on taxpayers,” said board member Debbie Hixon at the meeting. “We're a public funded entity, so we appreciate the additional taxes to be able to give teachers or employees supplements.
The latest National Education Association report on teacher salaries shows that — for the third consecutive year — Florida ranked at the bottom nationwide. It found the average teacher salary in Florida public schools was $56,600 in 2025, compared to the national average of $74,400.
READ MORE: Teacher pay in Florida worst in the country — again. FEA blames DeSantis, GOP-majority Legislature
The allocation percentage will guide how the district plans its budget and operation from 2028 through 2031.
This is the third referendum supporting security, mental health and employee pay. The first was in 2018 and limited supplements mainly for teachers. The 2022 referendum doubled the tax and went to teachers and staff, although was unspecific about what non-teacher roles were eligible until after it passed.
The school board voted in 2023 to exclude administrators with the highest salaries from the referendum. However, that limitation was removed in 2024 — without public input — stirring outrage when it became known that administrators who made more than $200,000 a year were receiving bonuses of up to $14,000.
In response, the board acted to quickly freeze the bonuses.
Hixon, along with School Board member Rebecca Thompson, were vocal about not receiving enough state funding.
A sharp decline in enrollment in the district in recent years has translated into fewer state dollars for schools, which also affects teacher pay.
Florida spent $13,487 per student, on average, for the school year that ended in 2025. The state’s budget for 2026-27 has not been approved. The fiscal year begins July 1.
Broward School referendum language on 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?
The referendum would give the School Board the chance to increase salaries in the wake of less state funding, according to Hixon.
The referendum is “about looking at who are the lowest paid people in this district and how do we help give them equity," Hixon said.
The House proposed a $113.6 billion package, about $1 billion less than the current budget that ends June 30. The Senate plan came in at $115 billion. The funding for private school scholarships is nearing $5 billion.
Thompson said the issue will persist — and worsen — if Tallahassee doesn’t increase funding for the district.
“There will be more schools closing. There will be more layoffs. There will be more destruction of public education,” she said.
“With the state allocation and the general budget, we wouldn't be able to provide the the unarmed security that you see at school and the abundance that you see,” Broward School Superintendent Howard Hepburn told the board.
The referendum will be on the ballot on the Nov. 3 election.
