Putnam County school board adopts tentative 6.865 millage, $477.7 million district budget for advertising

The Putnam County School Board voted unanimously to adopt a tentative total millage rate of 6.865 mills and to approve the district’s tentative budget of $477,658,546.36 for advertisement, the board said at a July public hearing. Board members set the final public hearing and final millage vote for Sept. 11, 2025, at 5:05 p.m. in the School Board Meeting Room, 200 Reed Street, Palatka.

The action matters because it sets the maximum property tax rates the district may collect for the coming fiscal year and opens the advertised budget to public review and comment before the board’s final vote. The tentative rate includes a required local effort portion, discretionary local effort, debt service tied to voted bonds, and a capital outlay millage.

Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Odom reviewed the district’s millage components and how they compare with last year. “The rollback millage rate is 5.3291,” Odom said, and he said the proposed operating millage ignoring debt is 5.289. He told the board the district’s total 2025–26 millage of 6.865 mills is 0.735 mills higher than last year’s 6.13 mills and that “the total 6.865 mills this year will bring in 98.89% of the funds generated from from last year.” Odom attributed the change to a drop in the state-set required local effort, an increase in the prior period funding adjustment, and higher debt service tied to a second bond issuance.

At the meeting the board approved the following tentative rates and budgets by roll-call vote: required local effort (3.041 mills, which includes a 0.018 prior-period adjustment); discretionary millage (0.748 mills); debt service (1.576 mills as read at the hearing); capital outlay (1.5 mills); and a tentative general fund budget of $126,063,857.65. The board approved tentative budgets for special revenue, internal service, enterprise and permanent funds and approved the district total for advertising as $477,658,546.36.

Board members and staff emphasized the statutory constraints on millage-setting. Superintendent Dr. Cernsey opened the hearing by citing “section 200.065 in chapters 1010 and 1011 in the Florida Statutes” in submitting the tentative balanced budget and proposed millage, and Odom said that voter-authorized debt millage is reported on the DR-420 debt certification submitted to the Florida Department of Revenue and that the constitutional authority for voted debt comes from the Florida Constitution as read at the hearing.

Board members asked staff to publish clearer department-level budget totals on the district website ahead of the Sept. 11 final public hearing so the public can see how the $126 million general fund is allocated among departments. Administration said it will produce department lump-sum totals as soon as systems show the allocations (administration noted some Skyward/system timing may delay full line-item display until after final adoption).

Public commenters raised concerns about the tax impact on homeowners and the district’s academic standing; the board heard several speakers during the public-comment portion before proceeding to roll-call votes on each millage and budget item.

The tentative millage and budget approvals are procedural steps required under state law to advertise rates and provide a final public hearing; they do not raise the final millage above the advertised maximum, and the board may lower rates before adoption but cannot raise them above the advertised figures.