Flagler County School Board adopts tentative 2025–26 millage and $328.2 million tentative budget

Flagler County School Board on July 29 adopted tentative millage rates for fiscal year 2025–26 and approved a tentative budget totaling $328,224,969 after a public hearing and unanimous votes.

The tentative levy includes a required local effort of 3.101 mills; the board read Resolution 25-26-01 adopting that tentative millage and then read Resolution 25-26-02 adopting the tentative budget prior to separate votes. Both resolutions passed unanimously.

The district’s finance director, Patty Warmack, summarized the budget and highlighted key figures and risks. "We are planning to end 06/30/2025 with a $9,000,000 fund balance," Warmack said, adding that the district expects to end 06/30/2026 with an estimated $7,600,000 fund balance, a projected decrease of $1,400,000. She said that the $9.0 million represents roughly 6.9% of revenues and noted that Florida statute requires a minimum reserve of 3%.

Why it matters: the district’s revenues and reserves drive staffing, operations and capital planning. Warmack told the board that the Family Empowerment Scholarship program—state-funded scholarships that follow students to private or other nontraditional providers—has grown sharply since fiscal 2020–21 and is expected to total about $17,000,000 in the district’s 2025–26…