Volusia County School Board authorizes work to place operational millage referendum on November ballot

The Volusia County School Board on April 17 voted to authorize staff to move forward with drafting a resolution and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to place a four‑year operational millage referendum on the November ballot, a step district leaders say could generate roughly $65 million per mill for local schools.

Superintendent Dr. Carmen Balgobin recommended the board authorize the work so administrators and labor partners could finalize details by the board’s May 12 meeting, when the board would take a final vote to send a referendum question to the county for the ballot. “If today the decision is made to go forward with the referendum, May 12 would be the date that this board would vote on the resolution and I put May 12 on there because we would need to have the resolution finalized,” Balgobin said during discussion.

Why it matters: District officials and supporters say an operational millage would create local revenue that can be used for salaries, retention supplements and program expansions — money the county half‑cent sales tax (a capital fund governed by Florida Statute 212.055) cannot legally provide. CFO Deidra Widenburg told the board one mill would generate about $65 million annually based on current taxable value. Polling circulated to the board by consultant Steven VanCore of ClearView indicated 62% support among likely voters in initial testing, the packet said.

What the board debated: Much of the meeting centered on who would be eligible for any raises funded by the referendum, how the campaign would be organized, and what role district staff could legally play. Administration and union leaders described a collaborative process that would produce an MOU spelling out eligible employee groups and the distribution of funds; board members repeatedly pressed for specifics in writing before giving a formal endorsement.

“We are covering our bargaining units and then the administrative staff and team at the campus,” CFO Deidra Widenburg said when asked which positions would be eligible. Widenburg and the superintendent said the conversations so far envision instructional bargaining units (classroom teachers and other instructional personnel), support bargaining units (paraprofessionals, office specialists, some school‑based positions), trades and service professionals (custodians, transportation staff, clinic LPNs) and school‑based administrators, but they emphasized the MOU would finalize eligibility.

Several board members expressed reservations about increasing property taxes and the political risks ahead. “I don’t like taxes. I just paid taxes. It was awful,” said Board Member Jessie Thompson. Other trustees warned that political opponents or auditors could frame district spending as wasteful and urged the district to be ready to explain where revenue would be spent.

Campaign rules and district involvement: Legal counsel and administration emphasized that district staff may not provide direct financial support to a political campaign; the plan discussed creating an independent political action committee (PAC) to lead fundraising and voter education while district employees and retired staff could participate on non‑work time. Administration described non‑financial, informational support permitted within policy 805 (for example, placing messaging on a marquee or district web scroll while avoiding use of paid staff time for campaign work).

Allocation and next steps: Administration reported prior discussions that suggested an 80% salary / 20% programs split as a possible framework, but they stressed that allocation, distribution method (sliding scale, fixed percentage or other), and exact eligibility rules would be negotiated and written into the MOU and the final resolution to appear at the May 12 meeting.

Public testimony: Several teachers, parents and Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar urged the board to let voters decide and highlighted staffing shortages and program losses as reasons to pursue local revenue. “People are leaving because they can’t afford to stay,” Spar told the board during public comment.

Vote: After discussion the board voted to authorize staff to proceed with drafting the final resolution and MOU and return for a vote on May 12. The motion passed; the final resolution language and MOU will be presented at the May 12 board meeting before any question is placed on the ballot.

What’s next: Administration will prepare the resolution language, an MOU for how referendum funds would be used, and campaign‑related plans (including PAC formation) for board review on May 12. If the board approves the resolution on May 12 and subsequent county approvals are obtained, the referendum would appear on the November ballot.