Miami-Dade voters overwhelmingly approve school district’s measure to boost teacher pay

At about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Miami-Dade public school leaders cheered the outcome of the district’s $400 million plan to increase property taxes to boost teacher pay and support school safety. The referendum, which faced an uphill climb as voters were already reeling from higher prices for food and gas and a rapid rise in interest rates, passed with about 65% of the vote with nearly all the county’s 1,049 precincts reporting.

“Tonight is a night of gratitude for this community,” said Miami-Dade Superintendent Jose Dotres. “This is not about the school district. This is about what our school district provides to our incredible community.”

The referendum called for asking property owners to boost their tax bill from from .75 to 1.0 — or $100 for every $100,000 in assessed taxable property value — to generate $400 million over the next four years. This referendum extends the 2018 measure, which passed with more than 70% of the vote.

The school district’s watch party, held at iPrep Academy, a magnet school across the street from district headquarters, was full of district officials, board members and community members. Guests began buzzing almost immediately, when early counts indicated a more than 63% approval rate at about 7:30 p.m., or 30 minutes after polls closed.