The Flagler County School Board adopted its final millage rates and a $338,224,969 budget for fiscal year 2025–26 at a public hearing on Sept. 9. The board approved Resolution 25/26-03 to set millage levies and Resolution 25/26-04 to adopt the final budget; both motions passed unanimously.
Patty Warmack, a district staff member who presented the budget, told the board the presentation was a repeat of information given at two July meetings and provided a high-level overview for public transparency. Warmack said the district projects a 2025–26 beginning general fund balance of about $7.6 million and that the district’s 2024–25 ending fund balance will exceed the $9 million figure previously reported once the annual financial report is finalized.
The presentation highlighted the growing effect of the Family Empowerment Scholarship program on district funding. Warmack said the Department of Education’s projection for 2025–26 is 1,926 scholarship recipients statewide affecting Flagler’s funding, with about $17 million attributed to scholarship payments in the district’s forecast.
The resolution the board adopted lists the certified taxable value for Flagler County at $20,044,982,530 and the district’s levies as follows: required local effort of $59,673,112 at 3.101 mills; discretionary operating levy of $28,864,775 at 1.500 mills; and local capital improvements amounting to $14,393,902 at 0.748 mills. The board’s adopted budget total for 2025–26 is $338,224,969.
Warmack summarized other funds and capital needs: food service is projected to start the year with a zero fund balance; federal grants now reflect core grants such as IDEA and Title I because ESSER and ARP funds have ended; the district continues annual debt service payments on refunded bonds related to Matanzas High School and on a revenue bond dating to 1998; and the district has an equipment lease taken two years ago to finance 14 buses. Warmack said some debt service is paid from impact fees where state rules allow use of those fees to expand student stations.
A board member asked about savings from a recent refunding of Certificates of Participation (COPS). Warmack replied the refunding yielded about $700,000 in savings.
Warmack also noted that a portion of the local 1.5-mill capital property tax is shared with charter schools under state legislation phased in over three years; the district is in the third year of that phase-in and the charter share has reached 60% of their pro rata portion.
The board opened and closed the public comment portion of the hearing with no speakers signed up. After the public hearing, the board reconvened in public session and voted to adopt the millage resolution (25/26-03) and the final budget resolution (25/26-04). Both motions passed unanimously.
The district indicated the budget document remains subject to minor adjustment when the annual financial report is finalized and will be presented to the board in the coming weeks. Superintendent Lashaka Moore was present for the hearing; no additional public testimony was received and the meeting adjourned.