School board adopts tentative 2025-26 millage rates and $418 million tentative budget

The school board on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at 5:01 p.m. at the JA Thompson Administrative Center adopted tentative millage rates identical to last year and approved a tentative budget of approximately $418 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

The action, taken during a specially scheduled public hearing, begins the TRIM (Truth in Millage) process that will let the superintendent certify DR‑420 forms to the property appraiser and the state. The tentative millage and budget set preliminary tax levies and spending plans; final adoption is scheduled after additional hearings in September.

The meeting had been rescheduled from July 28 after publication errors in the required TRIM advertisements, which the board said were corrected and republished in the TC Palm on July 27 to comply with Florida Statute 200.065. The board recessed to conduct the advertised public hearings on the proposed 2025-26 millage rates and the proposed 2025-26 tentative budget and then reconvened to take roll-call votes.

In a staff presentation, Mr. Green reviewed the millage components and the budget summary. He said the district will levy a required local effort of 2.999 mills, a prior-period funding adjustment of 0.006 mills (about $200,000), a 0.748 discretionary operating millage, a 1.500 capital outlay millage and a 0.500 voter-approved millage, for a total tentative rate of 5.753 mills — the same total rate the board levied the prior year. Mr. Green said taxable assessed value in the district rose by roughly $1.9 billion, about a 6.9% increase, which means many homeowners will see higher tax bills even though the millage rate did not increase.

Mr. Green gave homeowner examples the board discussed: a homeowner with a $275,000 home, subject to the Save Our Homes 3% cap and a homestead exemption, could see about a $47 annual increase; without those protections, the example increase would be about $96. For a $550,000 example, the increase with the 3% cap and homestead exemption was presented as roughly $94, and about $192 without those protections.

Mr. Green also summarized the seven‑fund tentative budget the board reviewed: a general operating fund of about $238.5 million; a debt service fund of roughly $32.0 million; a capital outlay fund near $85.0 million; special revenue (federal and food service) of about $21.1 million; an internal service (health insurance) fund near $38.0 million; and an enterprise (extended day) fund of about $3.2 million. The overall tentative budget was presented as approximately $418 million, roughly a 3% increase from the prior year.

Board members moved and approved the items by roll call. A motion to adopt the orders of the day was made by Mr. Dyer and seconded by Miss Rosario and passed 4-0. The board adopted Resolution No. 2601, the adoption of the 2025-26 tentative millage rates, on a roll-call vote with Dr. Plaszka absent and the remaining members voting in favor; the resolution passed 4-0. The board then conducted the public hearing on the tentative budget and adopted Resolution No. 2602, the 2025-26 tentative budget, on a 3-1 roll-call vote; Miss Rosario cast the sole negative vote.

Miss Rosario, who voted against the tentative budget, said she remained concerned about “the process and the procedure” despite expressing confidence in the numbers and thanking staff for their work. Mr. Dyer and several other board members thanked the finance team for pulling the materials together on short notice after state funding numbers were delivered later than usual. Doctor Moore and other staff also thanked the finance staff for the hours required to finalize the packet.

Under the board’s direction, the superintendent will certify the DR‑420 forms to the property appraiser and the state TRIM office to trigger homeowner notices. The board was told the final public hearings to adopt the final millage rates and final budget will be held on September 9, 2025; the district will notify residents through the TRIM mailings from the property appraiser and will publish hearing dates on the DR‑420 notices.

The meeting closed with brief board comments of appreciation for staff work on the budget and millage process and adjourned at 5:18 p.m.