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Miami-Dade School Board adopts 2025–26 budget and millage after public hearing
Summary
After public comment and debate, the Miami‑Dade County School Board adopted the 2025–26 millage resolution and final budget, citing lower-than-projected enrollment and the expiration of federal relief funds as drivers of a smaller overall budget and targeted reductions.
The Miami‑Dade County School Board voted Tuesday to adopt the final 2025–26 budget and the millage rates that will fund the district over the next year.
The board approved the millage-resolution and budget after a 6 p.m. public hearing in which labor leaders, parents and community advocates urged both fiscal prudence and investment in classrooms and staff. Chief Financial Officer Ron Steiger told the board the district’s certified taxable value is $583,598,495,240 and that the adopted combination of required, discretionary and voted levies produces a total operating and capital millage in line with the approved budget. Steiger reported the total millage rate exceeds the statutory rollback rate by 6.54%.
Superintendent Jose Dotres summarized the budget context: the district is proposing a roughly $7.4 billion plan that is smaller than last year, largely because federal stimulus funds have expired and enrollment fell below projections. Dotres said the shortfall reflects both lower incoming kindergarten cohorts and broader demographic trends, and he credited staff and board members for prioritizing classrooms, student services and workforce protections while finding more than $70 million in reductions to balance the general fund.
Union leaders and community speakers used the public hearing to press for greater transparency and savings that could be redirected to educator pay and classroom supports. Antonio White, president of United Teachers of Dade, said the union has asked repeatedly for detailed, de‑identified health‑care claims data and for a neutral third‑party review of the district’s $400 million health plan expenditures. Mindy Grimes Festich, UTD secretary‑treasurer, pressed the district to accelerate administrative efficiencies after citing union analysis that teacher counts have fallen roughly 14.5% since 2014 while district administration positions have declined by only 5%.
Board members acknowledged the pressure of the budget year but said the adopted plan protects classroom staffing and services. Board Chairwoman Rojas and several members thanked staff for monthly briefings and emphasized continued advocacy in Tallahassee and Washington for more state and federal support. "The budget is a living document," Steiger said; the board reserved the right to amend the plan during the fiscal year as conditions change.
The board then approved the 5‑year facilities work program and the final budget by separate votes, concluding the second public hearing portion of the meeting.
