Judge again orders Hillsborough to put teacher pay referendum on the ballot

• There are hundreds of classroom vacancies in Hillsborough County.

Catch up quick: Commissioner Joshua Wostal (R) led a vote in July to punt the ballot referendum to 2026, citing "increases in the costs of inflation."

• The school board then sued the commission. Earlier this month, the circuit court directed the commission to adopt a resolution no later than Aug. 13 to put the referendum before voters.
• The commission voted 4-3 last week to appeal that order and hire outside counsel to pursue the case.

Driving the news: Peacock vacated the stay triggered by the commission's appeal on Monday — intending to force the commission to comply with her previous order.

• The commission filed an emergency motion asking an appeals court to overturn that decision.

Between the lines: Commissioners argue that the referendum is ill-timed and would burden families who already face a tough economy.

• Others have noted that teachers are underpaid and not immune to inflation.
• The referendum lets voters decide. If approved, it will yield about $200 million for the school district, with 90% of the funds earmarked for teacher salaries.

What's next: The commission is set to meet on Tuesday at 9am.