Broward school leaders have launched a campaign to alert voters about a tax renewal on the November ballot, while not actually asking them to vote yes.
A referendum will be on the Nov. 3 ballot to ask voters to renew a tax they approved in 2022 to fund pay for teachers and other employees, mental health and safety and security. If voters say yes, homeowners would continue to pay a tax of a $100 for every $100,000 in assessed property. If voters say no, the tax will go away, and so will about $358 million, most of which pays for teacher supplements.
While it’s clear that most school district officials want the ballot measure to pass, state law doesn’t allow them to say that in their official capacities. They are allowed to educate, not advocate. During a news conference Tuesday, Superintendent Howard Hepburn was careful in the language he used to discuss the referendum.
“As superintendent and as a district employee, I am here today to educate the public on this ballot measure. I am not advocating for or against it. I am providing information so there is a clear understanding about the referendum,” Hepburn said at the news conference.
Some School Board members asked during a meeting earlier Tuesday whether the Broward Education Foundation, the fundraising arm of the district, could encourage voters to support it. James Knapp, president and CEO of the foundation, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Wednesday that the foundation faces the same restrictions as the school district.
“We can only inform. We’re not able to advocate either,” Knapp said.
Broward Teachers Union president Anna Fusco said the public supports teachers, and she is optimistic the referendum will pass. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
John Sullivan, chief of communications for the district, said state law is even more restrictive than it was when the referendum passed in 2022. He said the district cannot use its own resources, such as email or the ParentLink messaging system to contact voters directly, even if the material contains no specific advocacy.
So the district is trying other approaches to legally get the word out, including its website and social media. Three town halls are planned to inform the public about the referendum. They will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept. 30 at Charles W. Flanagan High in Pembroke Pines, on Oct. 7 at the K.C. Wright Administrative Center in Fort Lauderdale and Oct. 14 at Monarch High in Coconut Creek.
Hepburn and other district officials have visited about 30 city government meetings to talk about the district and the referendum. During the meetings, Hepburn often reminds elected officials that the district has been A-rated for three consecutive years.
The Broward Teachers Union does not face the same restriction and is encouraging voters to support the referendum. Teachers received supplements this past year of between $500 and $12,000, and the amounts likely would be higher if the referendum is renewed. The 2022 referendum allocates 75% to pay for teachers and other eligible employees, while this year’s referendum would allocate 90%.
“We want to make sure that [teachers and teacher assistants] continue to stay here,” union president Anna Fusco said at Tuesday’s news conference. “Their salaries will be gravely impacted if it doesn’t get retained.”
Fusco said the public supports teachers, and she is optimistic the referendum will pass.
While it’s clear that most Broward school district officials want the ballot measure to pass, state law doesn’t allow them to say that in their official capacities. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
But a series of controversies, including bungled construction projects, an expensive office lease and a job-cutting plan that saved all the highest-paid employees, have raised questions about public trust.
In January, the public learned that the 2022 referendum that was initially touted to benefit rank-and-file employees was expanded in 2024 to include nearly every employee in the district, with employees making more than $200,000 a year getting bonuses of more than $11,000 a year.
The School Board agreed to stop those payments and place tighter restrictions on who is eligible if the 2026 referendum passes. District-level employees who are directors, executive directors and chief executives will no longer qualify, officials said. A recent audit of the 2022 referendum found that, for the most part, the district spent dollars as promised.
Some public speakers at recent meetings and candidates in a recent School Board election have said trust is low in the district, and they aren’t convinced the referendum will pass. Nicole Morst, who was elected Aug. 21 to a northwest county seat, told the Sun Sentinel in an endorsement interview that she supports the referendum but had heard negative reaction from voters.
“As I’m knocking on doors and meeting people, most people do not want to support this referendum,” Morst said during the July 21 interview. “I think that goes back to headlines. Mismanagement and a lack of trust. Ultimately, I do support it. I know that if it doesn’t pass, then our teachers are going to take a pay cut.”
During Tuesday’s news conference, Hepburn challenged the idea that the public doesn’t trust the school district.
“Parents trust our teachers to teach their students. They trust to send our their kids to our schools. They trust that our teachers are getting the expected outcomes for their children, as demonstrated by the past three years of performance,” he said. “There are lots of people that trust what is happening in our classroom and what’s happening in our schools day to day.”