The Miami-Dade County Commission on July 24 approved a resolution to place a proposed school district ad valorem tax increase on the Nov. 6, 2018 ballot.
If approved by the voters, Miami-Dade homeowners would pay an additional 75 cents per thousand dollars of their home’s taxable value to pay for higher teacher salaries and increased school safety. The special tax would be levied for four years from 2019 to 2023.
The ballot measure was requested by the Miami-Dade School Board and was placed on the county commission agenda at the request of Commissioner Barbara J. Jordan.
“This will give Miami-Dade voters the opportunity to decide whether to tax themselves more to pay for teacher salary increases and increased safety,” Commissioner Jordan said.
The school board said it needs more money to attract and retain quality teachers and hire more School Resource Officers and security personnel in the wake of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and a new state mandate for schools to enhance security.
In addition to the school board’s plans to increase security through the proposed school district tax, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s proposed 2018-19 budget sets aside about $20 million to place a police officer at more than 100 schools across the county. His proposal also includes funding new response teams and additional training for officers.
