Duval County educators will answer residents' questions about a property tax renewal that helps fund teacher pay and school programs during a free virtual forum Thursday, Oct. 15, ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

The Jacksonville Public Education Fund will host the Zoom event from 6 to 7:30 p.m., giving Mandarin-area families an opportunity to learn how the one-mill tax affects local schools.

The forum is the third and final event in a community series organized by the education nonprofit, according to the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. Registration is available through the organization's website.

What's at stake in the one-mill renewal

Duval County voters first approved the additional property tax in 2022 to support employee compensation and arts and athletics programs.

The tax, equivalent to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value, must be renewed by voters every four years.

If approved Nov. 3, the renewal is projected to generate $121 million, with approximately 88% supporting compensation for teachers and other school employees. The remaining funds would support student programs, including arts and athletics, The Florida Tribune reported.

Teacher salary supplements funded through the millage averaged $8,668 during the 2025-26 school year, according to Duval County Public Schools.

The district also reported that its teacher vacancy rate declined from 6.5% to 4.4% after voters approved the tax. District leaders have credited the additional compensation with helping recruit and retain employees.

Third-grade teacher Lindzee McClure described the impact of the original referendum in an Aug. 24 district article.

"We felt valued. We're not in there worrying about how we're going to pay our bills. We're in there worrying about the kids," McClure said.

Separate ballot measures raise questions

The forum comes as school officials seek to distinguish Duval's local tax renewal from Amendment 3, a separate statewide proposal to reduce property taxes.

Both measures appear on the Nov. 3 ballot, but they address different taxes.

Amendment 3 would increase property tax exemptions for eligible homeowners while excluding school property taxes from the proposed reduction. Duval's referendum asks voters whether to continue the existing one-mill school tax.

Superintendent Christopher Bernier addressed the distinction during a community meeting organized by the Jacksonville branch of the NAACP in late September.

"'No' means no continuation. 'Yes' means continuation. We want you to understand that Amendment 3 and our millage are completely separate from each other," Bernier said, according to The Florida Tribune.

Duval is among 28 Florida counties with property tax proposals on the November ballot, the publication reported.

Although Amendment 3 would not directly reduce school property tax revenue, education advocates have raised concerns about possible effects on other publicly funded services that support students and families.

How to attend the Oct. 15 forum

The Jacksonville Public Education Fund's final one-mill referendum forum will take place Thursday, Oct. 15, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Residents can register through JPEF to receive the meeting link.

Duval County Public Schools also maintains a voter information website with the referendum's ballot language, frequently asked questions and details about how millage revenue is used.