Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jose L. Dotres will hold a town hall on the district's $570 million school tax renewal at Miami Palmetto Senior High School on Oct. 13.

The event at 7431 SW 120th St. in Pinecrest begins with a community resource fair at 5:30 p.m. Dotres will lead the town hall from 6:30 to 8 p.m., according to the Village of Pinecrest.

The meeting is one of nine the district is hosting across Miami-Dade County ahead of the Nov. 3 ballot, when voters will decide whether to renew the Secure Our Future referendum for another four years. Coral Reef Senior High School is among the local schools promoting the series on its website.

Funding allocation and referendum history

Referendum 268, as it appears on the ballot, generates roughly $570 million a year for the district. 88 percent goes toward teacher salary supplements and 12 percent supports school safety, according to the M-DCPS 2026–27 budget. The supplements average $10,000 to $12,000 per teacher on top of base salaries that start around $52,000, NBC Miami reported.

The measure is not a new tax. Voters first approved the referendum in 2018 and renewed it in 2022. Without another renewal, the funding will expire in July 2027, according toWSVN.

District leaders advocate for renewal

At a Sept. 15 news conference launching the district's renewal campaign, Dotres warned of the consequences if the measure fails.

"Can you imagine if we didn't have this supplemental pay to make our teachers competitive enough to stay in Miami-Dade County Public Schools?" he said, as reported byWSVN. He added that losing the funding would be "detrimental" to the district, costing it high-quality teachers and school safety officers.

United Teachers of Dade President Antonio White called the referendum "the heartbeat that keeps this school district running" at the same Sept. 15 event, NBC Miami reported.

Key voting deadlines for residents

The Oct. 13 town hall gives Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay families a chance to ask district officials directly about the measure before Election Day. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 5, and the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Oct. 22 by 5 p.m., according to the Village of Palmetto Bay. See SecureOurFuture.dadeschools.net for details.