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Sarasota County School Board adopts 2025–26 budget, sets total millage at 6.095 amid concerns over school closures and staffing cuts
Summary
The Sarasota County School Board on Sept. 16 adopted the FY2025–26 budget and a total millage rate of 6.095 mills by a 5–0 vote as public commenters urged the board to protect under‑capacity schools, questioned staffing changes and requested clearer school‑level budget detail.
The Sarasota County School Board voted 5–0 Tuesday to adopt the 2025–26 fiscal year budget and set a total millage rate of 6.095 mills, the board announced after a public hearing and comment period. The adopted breakdown included a required local effort rate of 2.847 mills, a basic discretionary rate of 0.748 mills, a capital outlay rate of 1.5 mills and a voted operating rate of 1.0 mill.
The vote came after the board opened a public hearing at 5:02 p.m. and limited each speaker to two minutes. Board members said the district’s 2025 taxable assessed property values rose 2.9% over 2024 certified values; board materials noted the adopted required local effort millage is slightly below last year’s rollback rate.
The budget’s immediate effect is financial: the board will levy the required millage so the district can participate in the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) in fiscal year 2025–26, a staff report explained at the hearing. The board’s adoption of the budget and millage completes the local step required to levy property taxes for the coming school year.
Members of the public used the hearing to press the board…
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