St. Lucie schools to present 1‑mill referendum renewal for November ballot
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Summary
Superintendent Dr. Prince said the district will present recommended ballot language in March to renew an annual 1‑mill ad valorem operating levy in November to continue funding teacher pay, school resource deputies and student mental‑health services; the language is largely unchanged and a public transparency site details spending.
The St. Lucie County School Board will present recommended ballot language at its March meeting to renew the district's annual 1‑mill ad valorem operating levy, Superintendent Dr. Prince said. The referendum funds teacher pay, pays for school resource deputies in district schools and supports student mental‑health and related services.
Dr. Prince said the proposed language is essentially unchanged from the versions voters approved in 2019 and 2022 and stressed the district maintains a public website that shows how every dollar from the referendum is spent, including school‑level allocations. He said prior renewals have passed with roughly 70% voter approval.
Under state law the referendum cannot be placed on a special election or a primary ballot and must appear on the general election ballot in November, Dr. Prince said. He told board members the district has coordinated with the supervisor of elections and the county commission; if the board approves the language in March, the county commission will consider it in April for placement on the ballot.
Dr. Prince said the district will share the final ballot language with board members and noted some members traditionally attend the county commission meeting when ballot placement is considered. The board did not take a formal vote during the workshop; the next procedural step is consideration of the recommended language at the March board meeting.