Rob Kriete has a three-decade-long career in education, all of it in Hillsborough County.
He spent 24 years as an English teacher, first in middle school, then high school. For the last six years, he’s served as president of the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association, the union that represents teachers and support staff working in the Hillsborough County School District.
When he was hired out of USF 30 years ago, it was tough to find a job in the Hillsborough school system. Today, the district faces a funding crisis and the most teacher vacancies in the state.
“We’re trying to meet the needs of our kids but we have this crater in our workforce,” Kriete says. “There are thousands of kids out there who don’t have that highly qualified teacher in front of them. They don’t have that smiling face. They don't have that person who welcomes them into the classroom and makes it that safe place to learn. That’s a problem. It’s a problem for our kids. It’s a problem for the community.”
To solve that problem, Hillsborough County Public Schools needs the financial resources to attract and retain high-quality teachers and staff. That’s why the district is asking county voters to approve a one-mill property tax increase for schools in a referendum on the November ballot.
Without the funding, Kriete says the current situation is not sustainable. It burns out teachers or drives them to move to a higher-paying district. It’s a disservice to students and their education.
He paints a picture of the current situation.
“Because of the vacancies, we have teachers with the largest classes they've ever had,” Kriete says. “During their conference period, when they should be doing lesson planning and grading papers, they’re being asked to cover another class. On top of it, the teachers are mentally and physically exhausted making up the work of the five hundred people we need to hire. It makes for a bad situation for teachers and the students. We’re seeing people burned out on this job because it’s harder than ever before. And if they’re still committed to this job, they can go to surrounding districts and make ten thousand dollars more to do the same exact thing.”
Numbers show the need
During a speech at Hillsborough Education Foundation’s annual EmpowerED luncheon, Hillsborough County Superintendent of Schools Van Ayres, a self-described “data geek,” spotlighted some numbers that show improving student performance and a school district on the rise. This year, 96.5 percent of Hillsborough public schools have a school grade of “A,” “B” or “C,” up from 84 percent last year. Third-grade reading proficiency, which Ayres describes as the most telltale sign of a district’s performance, is up from 46 percent to 51 percent in a year.
But there are also some concerning statistics when it comes to staffing levels and pay. While numbers fluctuate up and down during the year, Hillsborough schools are in the range of approximately 400 to 500 teacher vacancies, the highest number in Florida. The number of teachers voluntarily leaving the district before retirement rose from 1,163 in 2020 to 1,710 in 2023
Because of a bus driver shortage, 8,000 students arrive late on a typical school day. On average, they’re 15 minutes late each day, which adds up to 45 hours of missed classroom time in a year. The one-mill property tax referendum is projected to raise $177 million a year, with 92 percent of that going to address critical staffing shortages through salary supplements. There’s a $6,000 stipend for teachers, principals, assistant principals and other school administrations and a $3,000 supplement for bus drivers, school nutritionists and other support staff.
Those salary supplements are intended to level the playing field with neighboring districts when it comes to pay.
Compared to neighboring Manatee, Pinellas, Pasco and Sarasota counties, Hillsborough has the lowest pay for starting teachers and assistant principals and the second-lowest pay for teachers with 10 years of experience and for bus drivers, according to a Florida Department of Education salary survey. The salary supplements funded by the proposed one-mill referendum would raise Hillsborough to the middle of the pack in those five counties for starting teacher pay and average bus driver pay and to number one in pay for teachers with 10 years of experience. Average assistant principal pay would move up from the lowest to fourth out of the five counties.
Ayres describes Hillsborough as a “property poor, student rich” district. It has a large student enrollment but lags behind other districts in terms of property tax revenue per student. Of the state’s six largest school districts, Hillsborough, the third-largest, is the only one without a voter-approved additional millage in place, Ayres says. Voters in neighboring Manatee, Pasco, Hernando and Sarasota counties have approved one mill. Pinellas voters initially approved a half-mill in 2004 and have renewed it every four years since. This year, Pinellas’ tax is up for renewal with an increase to one mill. Against that backdrop, Ayres says the Hillsborough referendum is vital for the district to be competitive in attracting and retaining highly qualified, committed teachers.
“I find this moment in time critical for Hillsborough County,” he says during Hillsborough Education Foundation’s luncheon event. “We couldn’t wait to make sure that we are competitive and on a level playing field with surrounding school districts.”
“Single biggest impact on student achievement”
Hillsborough Education Foundation, the nonprofit organization that collaborates with the district on programs and initiatives to bolster student success, is a strong advocate of the referendum.
“We know how important it is to have a highly-qualified, dedicated teacher in every
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Hillsborough Education FoundationHillsborough Education Foundation President and CEO Anna Corman single classroom,” Hillsborough Education Foundation President and CEO Anna Corman. “It’s the factor that has the single biggest impact on student achievement and outcomes. A quality teacher has that ability to help students thrive. Realistically, we can't expect our community to continue flourishing economically without taking care of the teachers that shape and mold our students.”
Economic factors like inflation, rising rents and higher home prices make it difficult to get by on a teacher’s pay, particularly as Hillsborough’s cost of living rises with its rapid population growth.
“It's just not sustainable for teachers to stay in a profession that they love when they’re not making enough to take care of themselves and their own families,” Corman says. “Teachers need to be paid more so that we can recruit and retain them in this district. That will ultimately benefit students and make sure students have what they need to be successful. To us, it just makes sense.”
Impact of the teacher shortage
Blake High School science teacher and Hillsborough County Teacher of the Year Clayton Nylund is the type of highly qualified, dedicated teacher the district wants to recruit and retain.
Nylund, a physics and engineering instructor and the head of Blake’s science department, landed his first teaching job in Hillsborough in 2008. He’s spent his whole career with the district, focusing on making STEM accessible in Hillsborough’s Title I schools. Nylund shared details of Blake’s robust STEM program speech at Hillsborough Education Foundation’s annual luncheon.
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Provided by Hillsborough Education FoundationBlake High science teacher and Hillsborough County Teacher of the Year Clayton Nylund“Blake is technically the ‘performing arts school,’ but in 2018 I established a project-based STEM program that provides every Blake student access to physics and engineering,” Nylund says in his comments. “Rather than textbooks and tests, students demonstrate their understanding by constructing pinewood derby cars, catapults, bridges, egg drop vehicles and mousetrap cars. They even learn how to build circuits, along with coding, programming and robotics. This innovation led to the creation of my science and engineering club, along with multiple championships, much to the chagrin of the county’s ‘STEM schools.’ But most importantly, more of Blake’s students are considering and pursuing careers in technology and engineering than ever before, and that’s what really matters.”
Nylund also shared the challenges of dealing with the teacher shortage.
“Suffice it to say, life is good in Dr. Nylund’s classroom and it’s going to be an amazing year,” he says. “Those students whose schedules could accommodate my course will spend the year designing, building, experimenting, competing, and most importantly learning from a highly effective teacher. But if I am honest, this is not currently the case for every science student at Blake High School. As Anna (Hillsborough Education Foundation President and CEO Anna Corman) mentioned earlier, there are hundreds of vacancies throughout our county and one of them is in Blake’s science department right now. My department. Because I also serve as Blake’s science department head, and I am currently responsible for the science education of over 150 additional students.
"Now I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to give these extra students the best that I have, but I am one person, desperately trying to do the work of two," Nylund continues. "I now have double the lesson planning, double the copies, and double the grading. It’s not equitable, it’s not sustainable, and it’s certainly not what’s best for kids. The word ‘vacancy’ takes on a whole new meaning when you actually stop and think about its consequences. Consequence number one: Students with a long-term substitute will never get the same experience that students get from a certified, highly effective teacher. They won’t get the experiences you see in these pictures. Consequence number two: Vacancies burn out teachers, teachers quit and create more vacancies. It is a vicious cycle, but it’s the reality in many schools in our county.”
Good for the community
Hillsborough High senior Jayen Patel knows something about supporting teachers. Last year, Jayen was the high school-level winner of Hillsborough County Commission’s YEA! Award (Youth Excellence and Achievement) for volunteering and community service.
Jayen put together a program at Hillsborough Education Foundation that offers a lending library of free materials teachers can check out, including kits to help teachers of STEAM courses – science, technology, engineering, arts and math. One kit for elementary school students involves racing Lego cars down ramps and measuring and graphing how far the cars travel.
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Provided by Jayen PatelJayen PatelJayen sees the referendum as another way to support teachers, including the teachers who helped develop his commitment to community service and volunteering. He also looks at the big picture and sees the referendum as a way to have a positive impact on the overall community and its future. Today’s teachers are educating and shaping tomorrow’s workforce and community leaders, he says.
“It’s important to support the teachers that are inspiring the next generation,” Jayen
says. “Supporting them further through an increase in salary or more funding for our schools is supporting the kids who might not have certain educational opportunities without the millage. All of my teachers, administrators, counselors and staff are so passionate about creating a rich learning environment inside and outside the classroom. I’ll always be grateful to my teachers because they unlocked my academic potential in a classroom setting and outside the classroom. They’ve had an important impact on me during my educational journey and I know that’s true for a lot of other kids too.”
Economic impact
The mill equates to one dollar of tax for every $1,000 of taxable property. It would increase property taxes by $281 a year on a home that has a taxable value of $281,000 after the $25,000 homestead exemption is factored in.
An economic impact study that University of South Florida professors Shivendu Shivendu Christopher Jones conducted on behalf of Hillsborough Education Foundation projects a significant positive impact on the local economy if teacher pay and spending power increase. The salary increases for teachers and support staff would increase their consumer spending and have a total economic output of $274.9 million for Hillsborough’s economy. The increase in spending will support the creation of 2,314 full-time equivalent jobs, the study says.
“It helps create more jobs and increase consumer spending, which has a positive impact on our area,” Corman says. “It’s a win-win for everybody if we pay our teachers a living wage.”
Community support
In addition to Hillsborough Education Foundation and the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association, The Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, Tampa Bay Partnership and Tampa Bay Times editorial board are among the groups that have come out in support of the referendum.
“I think a lot of people are realizing how impactful this can be for Hillsborough County,” Corman says. “It’s just not realistic for us to compete when all of our surrounding counties have this additional mill in place to give them additional resources. We just can’t compete with that unless we put this in place to recruit and retain teachers, keep them here in Hillsborough County.”
Kriete says it’s tough economic times to be asking for a tax increase, but solutions for the funding challenges and teacher shortages can’t be put off.
“Our kids need it,” he says. “Our kids deserve it. We’re gonna do everything we can to make sure every kid in Hillsborough County has a great teacher. I would say I became a teacher because I had teachers who motivated me and made me want to be a teacher. I’ll never forget that. Everybody deserves to have their favorite teacher and these kids today do as well.”
If the referendum does not pass, Corman expects the problems with teacher and bus driver shortages will grow more severe.
“I am deeply concerned for the future of our district if this does not pass, as I fear we will have few options left to retain our teaching staff in Hillsborough County,” she says. “The issues we are currently facing with teacher and bus driver vacancies will only intensify. Hillsborough County is experiencing rapid growth—you only need to drive along I-4 or I-75 to witness it. South County, in particular, is expanding quickly. As student enrollment rises, we are going to struggle to recruit and retain the educators we need. If we cannot stop the outflow of teachers, the ultimate impact will be on the students, who won’t receive the quality education they deserve. So many teachers are committed to providing that for their students, but without adequate support, their efforts will fall short. If this measure fails, I believe the outlook for our district will be very grim.”
Kriete says scrambling to deal with hundreds of teacher vacancies is not a sustainable situation.
“The problem just becomes more dire,” he says. “People who are committed to
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Rob KrieteHillsborough Classroom Teachers Association Rob Kriete doing the job in Hillsborough County they’re doing a great job and they’re keeping the house up with our public schools. They’re doing it and filling in when they can. But to do this year after year after year, I don’t know what kind of consequences we’ll see for our workforce and our ability to meet the needs of our students.”
For more information, go to
Hillsborough Public Schools referendum and Hillsborough Education Foundation millage information