School Board approves tentative budget and property tax rate

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At a special meeting on July 22, the School Board of Alachua County approved its tentative FY2026-27 budget and property tax rate for advertising.

Chief Financial Officer Michael Reneke explained that the proposed property tax rate for the district’s Required Local Effort for FY2027 is 3.079 mills, which is 0.076 mills and 2.5% higher than last year’s rate; the proposed rate is 0.1947 mills and 6.75% higher than the rolled-back rate, which is the rate that would generate the same revenue as last year, excluding new construction. 

The overall proposed property tax rate is 6.327 mills, which is 1.2% higher than the previous rate (6.1323 mills) and 3.17% higher than the rolled-back rate. Reneke explained that the increase is mandated by the state’s increased Required Local Effort, and an average homeowner will pay about $45 more than last year. 

The proposed FY2027 General Fund budget is $346,433,225, about $3.5 million lower than the FY2026 adopted budget. The proposed All Funds budget is $610,840,438, about $6.7 million higher than the FY2026 adopted budget.

Reneke said most of the growth in the budget is in special revenue, capital funds, and the district’s self-insurance fund. 

Member comments

Member Sarah Rockwell said, “I want to reiterate that the Board does not set our own millage rate, unlike the County and our local municipalities… If we do not levy the required effort, we do not get our funds from the state. So the state tells us what that Required Local Effort must be, and we have to calculate, based on the tax roll, what the millage rate is, to get that Required Local Effort. So this increase is not the Board’s choice; it is a requirement from the state.”

Rockwell also said the increase for a home valued at $200,000 (for property tax purposes) is “less than filling up your gas tank once. I think that’s a small price to pay to make sure that we can give raises to our valued teachers and staff members. Even for people whose home values are higher, it’s still a small price to pay to make sure that our children get a quality education.”

Member Tina Certain reiterated Rockwell’s point that the Required Local Effort is required by the state and added that all of the other lines in the chart above are “outlined in statute,” except for the 1 mill that was approved by voters. The 1.5-mill rate for Capital Outlay “is outlined in statute; we don’t have to assess it every year, but you’d be foolish not to because of the needs ot the schools and the buildings that we have.” The 0.748-mill discretionary tax is also available to school districts, but it is not required. 

Motion

Certain made a motion to approve the 2026-2027 proposed tentative millage and budget for advertising, and Rockwell seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Next meeting

The Board’s next meeting is at 5 p.m. on July 30 for a public hearing for adoption of the 2026-2027 tentative budget and millage, and that meeting will be followed by a regular business meeting at 6 p.m.