Brevard staff say state FEFP changes yield small net discretionary gains; scholarships drive much of projected growth

Brevard Public Schools finance staff told the school board that the recently approved state conference report on the FEFP produces modest increases for the district and that much of the projected statewide growth is accounted for by private‑school scholarships.

“I was expecting the FEFP May 2, and we got it on June 13,” said Miss Luzinski, the district finance lead, noting the district was still reviewing the full implications. She said the base student allocation increased by $41.62 and that per‑pupil funding rose by about $143, with most of the projected growth in the conference report tied to scholarship programs rather than to district enrollment increases.

Finance staff walked trustees through the conference report numbers: the state’s projected unfunded FTE growth figure was cited as 53,007.83; district and charter public‑school enrollment were shown as declining while scholarship counts rose. Staff said the academic‑acceleration add‑on for advanced courses was moved from the base allocation into a categorical but ultimately was fully funded in the conference report.

Miss Luzinski told the board that, when the conference report’s growth is extracted, the district’s projected weighted FTE and discretionary funding show only small changes. She highlighted that some program cost factors were reduced — for example, a K–3 cost factor adjustment that she said reduced funding by roughly $844,000 — and that transportation and safe‑schools categoricals historically do not fully cover district expenditures (transportation funding typically covers roughly 50% of district transportation costs; the safe‑schools allocation was described as about $2 million short of current spending).

Staff provided a preliminary bottom‑line estimate and stressed that final numbers depend on forthcoming Department of Education calculations and corrections. Miss Luzinski asked the board for patience while staff reconcile the conference report with the district’s internal enrollment and scholarship extractions; she said staff will notify the board when the FDOE posts the fourth‑calculation numbers and when charter allocations are finalized.

Trustees asked for follow‑up on local revenue drivers including property tax millage and investment income; Miss Luzinski said the district had a millage/assessment projection and would provide additional portfolio and investment details to board members on request. She also outlined the district’s schedule: staff will present a tentative proposed budget in a July 15 work session and aim for approval at the July 29 board meeting, subject to final state numbers.

Board members emphasized that the district’s discretionary margin was small and that the board should plan for continued fiscal restraint. Several trustees praised staff for fast work parsing the conference report and asked staff to return with final FEFP extractions and the tax‑roll numbers that will determine local revenue.