Board member urges voters to back millage increase to fund teacher raises

Board member Mr. Medford stressed that additional local revenue will be needed to broaden teacher salary increases. He described the November millage referendum as the mechanism to restore a 0.75 mill to 1.0 mill and said the additional 0.25 mill would be directed toward salary increases for teachers.

Medford acknowledged that state funds such as the Teacher Salary Increase Allocation (TSIA) addressed part of the district's needs but said the district must secure local support in November to devote the rest of the revenue to salaries. He thanked teachers for engagement and framed the millage effort as the board's response to funding shortfalls from Tallahassee.