School board adopts 6.449‑mill rate and tentative $2.79 billion budget amid warnings on insurance and scholarship shortfalls

The Orange County School Board voted unanimously July 29 to adopt a total millage rate of 6.449 mills and to approve a tentative fiscal year 2025–26 budget that sets the district’s operating plan as it faces rising costs and enrollment shifts.

Superintendent Maria Vasquez presented the budget package and turned the financial details over to Doreen Concolino, the district’s chief financial officer, who outlined projected revenues and spending needs. “To say that this has been an unusual, budget cycle, doesn't, begin to explain what we have been dealing with over the last several months,” Concolino said as she began the presentation.

Why it matters: The millage and tentative budget set tax rates and spending ceilings for the coming year and allow the district to publish required notices and proceed to a final public hearing. Board members and staff said the district must close gaps created by rising health-care claims, federal and state funding uncertainty, and growth in scholarship programs that send taxpayer dollars to private schools.

Key decisions and numbers - Total millage adopted: 6.449 mills (required local…