Pasco County teachers and support staff could see paychecks shrink by about 12% if voters do not renew a salary referendum on the November 2026 ballot.

Four-year millage funds pay for school staff

The four-year millage, first approved in August 2022, lets the School Board levy up to one additional mill to boost pay for nonadministrative employees. That includes teachers, bus drivers, custodians and food-service workers. The district's referendum page states the lost income "cannot be replaced through other funding sources."

Referendum brings in $67.8 million this year

For the current fiscal year, the referendum is projected to bring in $67.8 million based on a 96% collection rate, according to the district's tentative budget book. Of that, roughly $8.6 million goes to charter schools as required by law.

What it means for paychecks

The dollar gap is sharpest for veteran teachers. A Pasco teacher with 25 years of experience earns $63,630 with the referendum supplement. Without it, that drops to $54,680, according to district-posted salary schedules from January 2026. A teacher with five years of experience would fall from $52,450 to $48,000.

Even with the supplement, Pasco trails some neighbors. A five-year teacher in Pinellas County earns $59,526. In Hillsborough, the figure is $49,601.

Bus drivers feel it too.

Pasco drivers start at $18.50 an hour. Without the referendum, that falls to $16.35. Hillsborough starts its drivers at $18.74. Custodial and food-service staff in Pasco start at $16.71 an hour and would drop to $15.56.

Staffing gains at stake

The referendum has helped the district close a staffing gap. Teacher vacancies dropped from nearly 350 three years ago to between 30 and 40, according to Tampa Bay 28 reporting on a July 31 interview with Superintendent John Legg. The district also earned its first "A" grade since 2009.

Those gains matter in Wesley Chapel, where overcrowding is acute. Wesley Chapel High and Wiregrass Ranch High are over capacity by more than 1,200 students combined, Wesley Chapel Community reported. Cypress Creek High, which opened in 2017, already sits at roughly 96% capacity. A new high school in the Wiregrass area and a Two Rivers K-8 campus are expected to open in 2028, according to the budget book.

On Aug. 12, Legg told Tampa Bay 28 the district is weighing consolidation and new school models to match shifting enrollment. "We are looking at our schools strategically and surgically to ensure that the facilities match the demand," he said.

What's next

The School Board holds its final public hearing on the 2026-27 budget Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. in the board room at 7205 Land O' Lakes Blvd. The referendum renewal itself will go before voters in November 2026.