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 highlights from the budget book and the unaudited annual financial report for the year ended June 30, 2025. The general fund ended the year with a reported balance of about $120 million, or 15.28 percent of general fund expenditures; state law requires a 3 percent general fund reserve and board policy requires an 8.5 percent contingency reserve. Sellers said roughly $39 million remained above the board’s contingency reserve, of which about $30 million is designated for restricted funds and carryforwards tied to grants and other assigned programs.

Sellers also noted a shift in fund balances tied to capital activity: capital-related receipts, including a Certificates of Participation (COPs) issuance in March that brought roughly $150 million into capital, caused the capital fund to exceed the general fund in total dollars. The district projects an ending general fund balance for 2025–26 of about $63.7 million (9.77 percent).

Board members asked for and received explanations of the FEFP mechanics and how rising property values interact with millage rates. Superintendent Chapman thanked Sellers and the finance team for assembling the budget and the annual financial report under statutory deadlines.

Votes at a glance - Required local effort millage (including prior-period adjustment) of 3.056 mills: motion passed, 5–0. - Discretionary operating millage of 0.748 mills: motion passed, 5–0. - Additional voted operating levy of 1.000 mill: motion passed, 5–0. - Local capital improvement millage of 1.500 mills: motion passed, 5–0. - Resolution 2025-005 (adopting total millage of 6.304 mills) and Resolution 2025-008 (determining revenue and millage to be levied): motion passed, 5–0. - Resolution 2026-006 (adopting the fiscal-year 2025–26 final budget of $1,747,977,849): motion passed, 5–0. - Approval of the annual financial report (AFR) and related fiscal-year-end filings for the year ended June 30, 2025: motion passed, 5–0.

Sellers explained required disclosures and where details appear in the budget book, including millage history and rollback-rate calculations on pages the board packet (she cited pages 25, 30–35 and 71 as referenced locations). The AFR must be submitted to the Florida Department of Education by Sept. 11, Sellers said.

Superintendent Chapman said the board’s reserves and improving credit ratings reflect “a very financially responsible way” of managing local tax dollars and thanked staff for their work. A number of board members reiterated that carryforward balances represent committed items — grants, capital projects and school- or department-specific carryovers — rather than discretionary surplus.

The board also approved the district’s June 2025 budget amendments (including year-end and carryforward adjustments) and a charter-school financial statement summary for the year to date, each by unanimous vote.

The board’s approvals complete the local steps required to set property tax millage and file the district’s budget and annual financial report with state officials. Detailed line-item allocations and program breakouts are in the district’s published budget book, cited repeatedly during the presentation.

Ending Board members said they expect continued oversight of carryforwards, staffing allocations and capital plans during the year. District staff said they will post and distribute the final budget book and AFR as required and continue periodic updates to the board.