Manatee County School Board adopts final millage and approves $1.748 billion 2025–26 budget

The School Board of Manatee County on Sept. 9 adopted final millage rates totaling 6.304 mills and approved the district’s final budget for fiscal year 2025–26 in the amount of $1,747,977,849, voting unanimously on each measure.

Deputy Superintendent for Business Services Rachel Sellers told the board the district must levy the required local effort (RLE) to participate in the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP). Sellers said the RLE for 2025–26 is 3.056 mills (including a 0.019 prior-period adjustment), the discretionary operating millage is 0.748 mills, the voter-approved additional operating levy is 1.000 mill and the local capital improvement levy is 1.500 mills, for a total of 6.304 mills.

The action matters because FEFP funding and local millage choices determine how state and local tax dollars are allocated to schools. Sellers told the board the total taxable value in Manatee County rose about $2.3 billion, producing an estimated $14.7 million of additional revenue compared with the prior year, and that the 6.304 mills adopted is below the formal rollback rate for the district by about 1.16%.

Sellers summarized…