The Alachua County School Board voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve its final budget and millage rate for the 2025-2026 school year.
The total revenue raised through millage taxes, or taxes on real estate, will increase by more than $9.9 million this fiscal year, up 6.13%.
The millage rate, which are tax rates assessed as dollars for every $1,000 in property value, has steadily decreased over the past five years as property values rise across Alachua County. Property values have climbed at a quicker rate than the tax decreases.
Judith Marte, the district’s financial consultant, said the increase may appear larger than it is. The mandated property tax the county contributes to the state will rise by more than $4.6 million, along with other millage increases for long term projects and district needs.
The state will consequently provide less financial assistance through the Florida Education Finance Program, a state program dedicated to allocating K-12 funds. After the state’s reductions, Marte said, revenue increases are minimal.
Over the last 10 years, total property tax collections in the county have more than doubled to nearly $29 billion.
For example, for a homeowner with a house valued at $212,180, the school board portion of their tax bill will increase by $36.82 annually, or $3.06 per month, Marte said in a presentation at the meeting.
Most of the school board’s operating budget comes from a mix of local funding, primarily through property taxes, and state funding, primarily disbursed through the Florida Education Finance Program.
Together, local and state funding make up more than 80% of the district’s operating budget. The remainder comes from federal funding, capital transfers for maintenance, which pay for equipment and maintain district buildings, and unspent funds from the previous fiscal year.
Marte said the team compared Alachua to other counties to guide them on the issue, but Board member Sarah Rockwell voiced concerns about the capital transfers portion of the budget. Rockwell said she wanted to be certain the comparisons were being made to similarly structured counties.
“Most of the districts that are similar in size to us do not have a huge university, and a state college and a VA college,” Rockwell said at the meeting. “All of these properties are not on the tax roll, they’re all tax exempt.”
Leon County, which houses Tallahassee, would be an ideal comparison due to its tax-exempt colleges and state capitol buildings, according to Rockwell.
The school district’s total revenue will decrease from about $340 million in 2024-2025 to about $302 million in the current fiscal year. The budget will fall from $612 million to $604 million. A decrease in state and federal funding, along with lower student enrollment across the county, were driving factors behind the budget change.
The budget passed Tuesday is active from July 31, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
Contact Logan McBride at lmcbride@alligator.org. Follow him on X @logandmcbride.
Logan McBride is a journalism junior and the Fall 2025 K-12 education reporter. In his free time, he enjoys watching TV shows or playing basketball at Southwest Rec. He is also a big football fan and will die for Dak Prescott.
