Hillsborough schools plan to sue county over November referendum denial

The big story: School districts across Florida often turn to voters for extra tax revenue so they can better pay their faculty and staff.

Across the state, these local-option property tax referendums have proven highly popular. But not in Hillsborough County.

Hillsborough voters narrowly defeated a 2022 ballot question, leaving the district less competitive with its neighbors in the hunt for new teachers. This year, the district aimed to try again after having changed its leadership and its practices.

Then the County Commission stepped in, refusing to place the item before voters in November. The district said it will sue, alleging the commission overstepped its authority. Read more here.

Students, parents and teachers expressed disappointment with the commission’s action, saying it jeopardized the district’s ability to hire top teachers, WFLA reports.

Hot topics

Teacher training: The Pinellas County school district and St. Petersburg College launched a new partnership to prepare qualified district noninstructional employees to become certified teachers. Twenty-nine people are participating in the two-year program.

School board elections: On the campaign trail, Pinellas County school board candidate Erika Picard speaks of schools being over-accommodating to students who ask for litter boxes in the restroom. She said it happened in Hillsborough County. Hillsborough officials say it’s not so. • A Hillsborough County political activist has questioned the motivations of four Hillsborough School Board incumbents in altering a bus purchasing agreement, suggesting campaign contributions played a part, Florida’s Voice reports. • A candidate for Leon County School Board accused the incumbent of taking money from conservative corporate political committees, WFSU reports. • Interested in the candidates for office in the Tampa Bay region? The Tampa Bay Times Know Your Candidates guide is now available online. The primary is Aug. 20.

Safety: Santa Fe College is working with Uber to provide students with free rides as a safety measure, MainStreet Daily News reports.

Public comment: Sarasota County residents and school district employees will get preference when speaking to the school board under the district’s revised public comment rules, the Herald-Tribune reports.

Guest teachers: Kelly Services predicts a shortage of substitute teachers for Florida schools, WMFE reports.

Grading: The Alachua County School Board voted down a proposal that would have set the 50% as minimum score a student could receive for an assignment, MainStreet Daily News reports.

Flag displays: The University of South Florida St. Petersburg removed Pride and Black Lives Matter flags from its student center after receiving a complaint, WUSF reports. The school plans to review its policies and procedures for determining which flags may be displayed.

Contract talks: Alachua County teachers complained about the poor state of negotiations for teacher pay since February, the Independent Florida Alligator reports.

Cellphones: The Martin County School Board has banned student use of cellphones in school, WPBF reports.

Book challenges: The Palm Beach County School Board rejected challenges to three books in a high school library, the Palm Beach Post reports. A resident had asked the district to place warning labels on the books because of their content.

From the court docket ... Lawyers for the Flagler County school board argued in court that a 7-year-old student should testify in a case challenging the board’s right to remove books from school libraries, News Service of Florida reports. • A Leon County judge rejected a motion by the Board of Governors to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the state law eliminating arbitration in university employment disputes, News Service of Florida reports.

Don’t miss a story. Yesterday’s roundup is just a click away.

Before you go ... What? Exercising doesn’t work?