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Polk County official briefing outlines $96M funding gap as board weighs referendum outreach
Summary
Finance staff told the Polk County School Board that statutory changes rolled several former categorical allocations into the base FEFP formula, leaving the district to cover roughly $96.4 million in unmet costs from discretionary funds and spotlighting $117 million diverted this year by the Family Empowerment Scholarship; trustees discussed voter education ahead of a proposed referendum.
Miss Jenkins, the district's finance presenter, told the Polk County School Board on Jan. 13 that recent state changes to the Florida Education Finance Program shifted multiple categorical funding lines into the base student allocation, reducing transparency of certain targeted dollars and increasing the district's reliance on its general fund.
"The total amount that comes for over our funding is $96,400,000," Jenkins said, summarizing the district's aggregate shortfall across areas such as school safety, transportation and ESE supports. Jenkins also told trustees that 16,296…
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