Tax increase may pay for teacher raises in Broward

Facing a nearly $15 million shortfall, Broward school officials say there may be only one way to give teachers a raise — ask the public for a tax increase.

The district may request an additional half mil, or 50 cents for every $1,000 in assessed property value, Superintendent Robert Runcie said on Tuesday. For a homeowner with a $225,000 home and a homestead exemption, that would be about $100 a year.

It would raise about $93 million a year for the district.

Voters would likely be given a chance to vote yes or no during the November election. The tax would last four years and would have to be renewed by voters after that.

The district has the lowest school property tax rate in the region, Runcie said.

Financial Officer Judith Marte said without more revenue, it will be tough to give teachers raise this year.

“To give some people raises we’d have to lay people off, given the funding we have,” she said.

School Board members voiced support for the idea.

“We’re at a breaking point. We’ve seen walkouts by teachers around the country,” School Board member Laurie Rich Levinson said. “The only reason we haven’t seen that here is that Florida is a right-to-work state. … Our number one priority every year is salary increases.”

School Board member Heather Brinkworth said it’s getting harder to attract and retain teachers.

“That was amplified by what happened at Stoneman DougChief