Pinellas County voters will have their last opportunity Tuesday to decide on a referendum that would renew an existing tax that funds public education and expand it to provide more funding for teacher and support staff bonuses and improved curriculum.

Currently, property owners in Pinellas County pay a half a thousand property tax to support public schools, meaning property owners pay 50 cents for every $1,000 of assessed value. This tax has been in effect since 2004, when voters originally approved it.

The Pinellas County School Board held a referendum on the ballot to renew the levy and raise the millage rate to 1.0 from 0.5 on May 14, meaning property owners would pay $1 for each $1,000 of the assessed value of their property.

If enacted, the additional tax revenue would fund enhanced arts, reading and technology programs, increasing available funding from $12.5 million to $18.7 million. The increased rate would also increase teachers’ supplemental pay from about $6,000 to $11,000.

Charter schools would also benefit from the additional half-mill property tax pass.

Passage would also add to state funding and be used to buy computers and software, supports the “small intensive group reading programs,” funds field trips and supports band programs, according to the School Board.

Referendum spending is overseen by an independent citizens’ committee, whose reports are publicly available.

School Board Candidate Stacy Geier expressed his opposition to the referendum. She said funding for teacher pay and curriculum is important, but the district should find ways to meet those goals through revenue streams already available.

If voters do not approve the tax, it would end in June and teachers would lose the current teacher bonuses, also known as supplemental pay, that they currently receive. District officials fear the loss could lead to a mass exodus of educators unwilling to take what would essentially be a pay cut.

Precedent suggests the referendum could be sailing towards an easy passage. The property tax won about 63 percent support when it was first brought to voters in 2004. Four years ago, when voters were asked to renew it, it got about 79 percent support.

Neighboring Hillsborough County also has a referendum on the ballot to raise property taxes to fund public schools. Like Pinellas County, fee it would be $1 per $1,000 in taxable value. The $177 million would go toward funding $6,000 annual raises for teachers and administrators and $3,000 raises for support staff. Voters would have to reauthorize that additional tax in four years if it passes this year.

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Naomi Risch reporting.

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