Early voting on school issues begins across Florida
Election Day is two weeks away. But in-person early voting begins today in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, and across Florida.
Several education-related matters appear on the ballot, including one statewide initiative. The Republican-dominated state Legislature is asking voters to consider a return to partisan school board elections, reversing a 1998 constitutional amendment. Read more about Amendment 1 and what the proposed changes would mean.
Locally, voters will be choosing school board members and superintendents. In Pinellas County, voters in one north-county district will choose between a moderate Republican and a more extreme conservative candidate. • Pasco County voters will select between two veteran educators with different world views and experiences in the race for superintendent. • One Hillsborough County incumbent board member faces a challenge to her reelection bid from a conservative teacher backed by the 1776 Project.
They also will decide a spate of sales and property tax referendums aimed at boosting districts’ revenue beyond the amount provided in the state budget. Pinellas County wants to double its property tax rate from past iterations, so it can give bigger bonuses to teachers and also provide extra pay to non-instructional staff. • Hillsborough County is asking for approval of a property tax, also to improve employee salaries, after having failed to win a similar request two years ago.
See more details in the Tampa Bay Times candidate guide.