Lakeland board directs CFO to seek state review for financial emergency; weighs $7.5M levy and $9.52M cuts

The Lakeland School District board on Dec. 18 directed the district CFO to begin the process with the State Board of Education to seek a declaration of financial emergency after a proposed supplemental levy recently failed.

Board members said the declaration would allow the district to implement planned reductions while preserving the option to rescind the emergency if a future levy passes. The board discussed a draft set of reductions that district staff said would cover a $9,520,000 shortfall if the district must absorb the full amount.

The board did not adopt a final package or vote on a new levy at the meeting. Several trustees and staff discussed running a smaller supplemental levy instead of trying to restore the full $9.52 million in the short term. Trustee Robert F. Jones, in a written statement read into the record by Jason Bradbury (Lakeland Education Association president), urged the board to rerun a levy at roughly $7,500,000, saying that state tax relief would reduce the dollar impact on local taxpayers and that a smaller levy would give the district time to ‘‘partly grow our way out of it and or make necessary adjustments.’’

Board and staff discussion reviewed numerous line items and scenarios presented on a prioritized reductions spreadsheet prepared by district finance staff. The spreadsheet shows optional reductions and revenue strategies including: moving some…