District presents preliminary 2025–26 budget outlook showing projected state revenue decline and local increases; charter and scholarship trends highlighted

Alachua County Public Schools finance staff presented a preliminary view of the 2025–26 district budget at the June 4 workshop, advising trustees that state budget and enrollment changes mean the district is planning from a conservative starting point until the legislature and Department of Education finalize calculations.

Deputy/Chief budget presenter (district staff) explained the district used the House proposed education budget as a conservative baseline and the district’s March forecasted FTE to estimate state funding; staff reported a projected net decrease in FEFP (state) revenue of about $10.7 million compared with the current year’s third calculation, while local revenue is projected to increase by just over $4 million largely because of higher property values and required local effort.

Staff also described significant enrollment dynamics that affect funding. The district’s March forecast for next year (all programs included) was about 32,100 unweighted FTE. Staff briefed the board on a strong increase in Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) participation, saying the program diverts state dollars to private schools or homeschooling; the state forecast for FES next year was 5,555 students, and staff noted FES growth reduces funds available to the district. Charter school enrollment has continued to rise as well; staff emphasized that the district acts as a pass‑through for some charter funding and that state rules also require sharing a portion of local capital funds with charter schools (the proportion rises year to year).

Other budget drivers discussed included an estimated employer contribution increase for the Florida Retirement System (FRS) and a projected health‑insurance premium increase (the district used a 7.35% estimate pending final fund balances). Staff proposed a preliminary capital transfer of about $15.3 million from capital funds to the general fund to cover property insurance premiums, technology refresh, software licenses, portable classroom leases and debt payments; staff cautioned this number may change.

Trustees asked for more granular, board‑level access to the capital and facility planning data (FMX), and several asked for position‑control and staffing allocation reports tied to funding sources. Staff agreed to provide site‑level FCA reports, position control detail and to continue refining revenue and expenditure numbers after the state’s conference report and the July property value certification are published. No formal budget adoption occurred at the workshop; staff said the district’s tentative budget hearing is scheduled for July 31 and the final adoption hearing for September 9.