The School Board of Manatee County on June 24 authorized staff to amend charter-school contracts so qualified charter schools will receive a portion of the county half‑cent sales surtax beginning in fiscal year 2025–26. The motion passed 5‑0.

Board members and charter representatives spent more than an hour discussing how to calculate the charter share. Staff and bond counsel advised that the district must deduct pledged debt service tied to sales‑tax bonds before distributing remaining revenue; board members questioned how quickly the charter share should ramp up to the full target in later years.

Why it matters: The half‑cent surtax is a significant new local revenue stream for school capital and maintenance projects. Charter leaders and parents told the board the new revenue matters for long‑range budgeting for charter facilities and programs. Board members said the district must protect bond covenants while balancing fairness to charter schools.

Key details and numbers discussed
- The board work packet staff presented estimated gross sales‑tax revenue of roughly $55.9 million for fiscal 2025–26. Board members and staff said the district’s maximum annual debt service on bonds tied to the surtax is approximately $12,000,006.81; staff said deducting that amount reduces the pool available for distribution to about $43.2 million.
- Under the policy the board approved, charter schools will ultimately receive 20% of the net surtax revenue (the board work packet calls that the steady‑state share). For 2025–26 the board approved a phased approach that begins at 50% of that charter allocation (about $4.3 million under the staff estimates after debt service was deducted). The schedule in the board work sets higher percentages in later years until the 100% target is reached.

Debate highlights
- Charter advocates at the meeting asked the board for quicker, clearer commitments so charter operators could budget capital projects and maintenance. Dr. Laura Eslinger and other speakers urged the board to treat charter students’ needs as part of the district’s obligations and to accelerate the share where feasible.
- Several board members — including members who said they support sharing revenue — objected to accelerating the phase‑in without additional financial modeling showing which capital projects would be delayed or must be reallocated. Board members noted several existing capital commitments tied to the surtax and the need to protect bond covenants and the district’s financing capacity.
- Board counsel and staff said they had consulted bond counsel; the advice they reported was that debt service pledged to bondholders must be paid first out of the surtax receipts.

Outcome and next steps
The board voted 5‑0 to authorize amendments to charter contracts to implement the distribution plan that begins in 2025–26 as described in the board work. Board members asked staff to return with additional modeling and options for accelerating the phase‑in at future meetings; staff agreed to present more detailed budget scenarios in July.

What the vote does not do
The action approved contract changes and a phased schedule starting in 2025–26. It does not change existing bond covenants or the district’s pledge for debt service; nor did the board commit to any additional borrowing to accelerate charter distributions without separate board actions.

Looking ahead
Board members directed staff to bring back updated financial detail during July workshops and to explore options (including the timing and impact of certificates of participation) before accelerating later years of the phase‑in. Charter leaders said they would continue to press for clearer timing and amounts so they can finalize capital budgets.