The Clay County School Board voted 5-0 on July 29 to adopt advertised tentative millage rates and a tentative budget for fiscal year 2025–26 after a public hearing and a staff presentation. The board set a final public hearing on the millage and budget for Sept. 11, 2025, at 5:05 p.m.

Dawn Posey, finance staff, told the board the tentative required local effort millage is 3.024 and the total tentative millage is 6.272, which Posey said will generate approximately $137,000,000 in local tax revenue under current property values. Posey said the state-required local effort figure is set by the Florida Department of Education and by state law, and the board has no authority to change it. “You either participate in the FEFP program or you don’t,” Posey said. Because taxable value rose compared with the prior year, the district was required by state law to advertise a tax increase even though the change reflects higher property values rather than a board decision.

Posey walked the board through the budget calculations used for the advertisement and two homeowner scenarios showing the estimated tax impact on a $200,000 homesteaded home with and without a 3% assessed-value increase; the examples showed an increase of about $6.65 to $6.88 compared with the prior year under the advertised rate. She also presented fund totals the board used in the tentative budget: general operating fund $419,000,000; special revenue $48,000,000; debt service $7,000,000; capital projects $141,000,000; internal service funds $53,000,000; and a total all-funds figure presented as $669,862,016.

At the public-comment portion of the hearing Dennis Matheny of Fleming Island questioned why the millage appeared to produce significantly more revenue as property values rose and asked about differences between program line items in the grants summary. Posey and staff offered to meet with Matheny after the meeting for further explanation.

After closing the hearing, the board approved a motion to adopt the tentative all-funds 2025–26 budget and to set the Sept. 11 final hearing (motion: moved by Miss Gilhausen; second: Mister Albero). The board also adopted two resolutions formalizing the tentative millages and the tentative budget (listed in meeting minutes as Resolution 2601 and Resolution 2602). All motions and the resolutions passed 5-0.

The board’s adoption of tentative millages and a tentative budget starts the statutorily required notice and hearing process; Posey reminded the board that the tentative figures are based on data as of June 30 and that final figures may change as the district closes its books and receives later state and federal notices and grant awards. Staff said the district will update the budget for the board at the Sept. 11 final public hearing when grant awards and other adjustments are available.

Notes on next steps: the final public hearing to adopt the 2025–26 millage and budget is scheduled for Sept. 11, 2025, at 5:05 p.m. in the same building.