[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6491290,"mediaKeyId","5556230-8193c8e84c9adee7afb75a383d846001","parentId",5556230,"title","Bay County School Board adopts tentative millage of 5.337 mills and $648.48 million tentative budget","audioSeconds",3029,"startMs",2349000,"endMs",5378000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5556230-8193c8e84c9adee7afb75a383d846001&start=2349&end=5378","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5556230-8193c8e84c9adee7afb75a383d846001/thumbnail_2349000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6491290/Florida/Bay-County-School-Board-adopts-tentative-millage-of-5337-mills-and-64848-million-tentative-budget","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6491290-bfdffca62a42f1f82d41e3ef95b9db97/orig.mp4?Expires=1770825687&Signature=jYrHpGa9J7Wr~nRDLSXzJ5KaPFQGNtJHvxGtjaW7Q5VvQPE9Zs9-mnHqm9GIeuOy~14hcUbOKZWOAd1~6NRWp2Z333jV18FKTJgRhh8NAiaVLbI3MVeWdQCH0yIuo-lv8~fRLLPnO-yAatJQQUT54JPrZryaP2~AUmRJ-iluNAUYEnn2hPHNCoEmipSX4Kl9JVeIPkGeUNBVkZ93U2ODoIKNvSH~NKuoP7ZWY8W~uecM5dY~10I0jIlA4Cha1m6SnPj-i4Jw95bzHhRxgwucTKy3Jij9TQLYa486g9kgPdgguHzmto5EJuHBipcVF7lUObEw~KOj2KeiiDkMyNteqw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Bay District Schools","date","2025-07-31T00:00:00Z","article","The Bay County School Board on July 31 adopted a proposed millage rate of 5.337 mills and a tentative district budget of $648,478,799.90, following required public notice and a hearing. The proposed millage exceeds the statutory rollback rate by 0.99 percent, the district’s finance staff said.

Jim Stewart, the district finance presenter for the workshop, explained the millage breakdown: 3.089 mills as the required local effort, 0.748 mills as basic discretionary operating millage, and 1.50 mills for capital outlay (local capital improvement). Stewart said the rollback rate — the rate that would generate the same revenue as the prior year after adjusting for new construction — was 5.2845 mills and that the proposed levy of 5.337 mills is 0.99% above that figure.

The board reviewed the tentative budget’s high-level composition: a $344 million general fund (approximately 53% of the total budget), $188 million in capital projects (about 29%), and internal service and special revenue funds making up the balance. Stewart and staff noted the budget includes reserves for health insurance increases, an FTE shortfall contingency, an audit-penalty reserve, and a modest estimated ending fund balance (about $13 million). Stewart also highlighted that capital projects spending had tapered from prior years after a multi-year borrowing program and that charter school pass-throughs and half-cent revenue share affect local capital capacity.

Board members discussed line items and allocations during the workshop portion, asking for and receiving explanations about school supplements (including athletic funding), teacher salary allocations (state-directed teacher-salary-increase funds), charter school capital pass-throughs, enterprise and internal service fund balances, and program carryovers tied to federal grants. Stewart said a portion of the district’s increased tax base in recent years was driven by new construction and post-hurricane renovation and transactions that re-established taxable values.

Formal votes followed the workshop. The board approved the proposed millage rate by separate motion and roll call (5–0). The roll call recorded yes votes from Board Members Moore, Leonard, Chester, Register and Moss. The board then voted to adopt the tentative district summary budget for fiscal year 2025–26 in the amount of $648,478,799.90 by separate motion and roll call (5–0). The board also passed Resolution 26-01 (adopting the tentative millage rates) and Resolution 26-02 (adopting the tentative budget) by separate votes; both resolutions passed unanimously.

Details the board recorded in the hearing: the required local effort is 3.089 mills (the state-determined portion), the discretionary operating millage is 0.748 mills, and the tentative capital outlay millage is 1.50 mills. Stewart and staff noted that if the district did not levy the discretionary capital millage it would forgo the compression supplement adjustment. The district’s proposed total millage (5.337 mills) is 0.026 mills higher than last year’s total levy of 5.311.

Board members were told how the proposed rates affect a typical homeowner: at a taxable value of $100,000, the change would amount to roughly $2.60 annually according to the materials presented.

Next steps: state law requires the district to advertise the tentative millage and hold a final public hearing before adopting a final millage and budget. The board scheduled a follow-up budget workshop on Aug. 26 and the final public hearing and adoption on Sept. 11.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","July 31, 2025: School Board Budget Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","At a July 31 public hearing, the Bay County School Board adopted a proposed millage rate of 5.337 mills (exceeding the rollback rate by 0.99%) and a tentative district budget of $648,478,799.90. The board approved two resolutions formalizing the millage and the tentative budget by separate votes (5-0).","taxTitle","Bay, School Districts, Florida","taxId",15608,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6491293,"Bay District Schools unveils new student progression plan and publishes consolidated student code of conduct",1531,431000,1962000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5556230-8193c8e84c9adee7afb75a383d846001&start=431&end=1962","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5556230-8193c8e84c9adee7afb75a383d846001/thumbnail_431000.jpg","/articles/6491293/Florida/Bay-District-Schools-unveils-new-student-progression-plan-and-publishes-consolidated-student-code-of-conduct","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6491293-13dd62ea231145e88d647e3e9210a2a1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770825687&Signature=Y907k9uxcynthRNdhaV~ju40Q6w0A-RVW9eK6bK5VE0YneHnqO04fyjjRekC-TZ40OMvSW-ZiWqwWTP0vuHh8OFjVYcmcRVDlOTdG51donwp9KAqJS5Ik0fnMBitzaqK90VuRrzE8v6-5ZdHs5VeN0VVduM4nQc8U~Q3Kt7g-aJoYZLqVx0jUaieUhaFNSKlKFGwx-trNlXCszKdv4VOXXXCZYrmJft61X-j7EyHZjSKwEmIZknZbVvC72w43JKw9~ygTw3R3RInjkqKEQSnxDK5izUZ-Y5zCFIjTl6DzCvqjShpXcMfVEqS88~Dn~MSev8DI65fMnnvFc2UY3-FgQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Bay District Schools staff on July 31 presented a new student progression plan required by state law and a consolidated student code of conduct that the district posted as a live, bookmarked document on its website.

The student progression plan, presented by Elena Simmons, the district’s director of secondary instruction, outlines the procedures the district will use to determine whether students move from one grade to the next and describes remediation and progress-monitoring steps for students who need additional support. “This is to really be transparent with our families,” Simmons said, describing the plan’s purpose and layout.

The plan summarizes state-required reporting obligations, including annual reporting on retention by grade for kindergarten through 10th grade and the third-grade English language arts proficiency metrics tied to mandatory retention rules. Simmons said the district had 128 third-graders retained this year and 224 students promoted through “good cause” exemptions; she said 24 students achieved Level 2 on a July FAST retest and were promoted without needing a good-cause exemption. Simmons said the district places students who are retained or promoted through good cause into a Tier 3 progress-monitoring plan.

Dawn Cates, the director of student wellness, summarized the code of conduct, which the district combined with the discipline matrix and other related board policies into a single 76-page live document so families can navigate quickly. “It was important to give the parents an overview, a one-pager,” Cates said, explaining the document’s title page, the parent letter, and the bookmarked table of contents. District staff said the published page links to board policies and that a Spanish version will be available soon.

The consolidated code includes the district’s discipline matrix, full language on anti-harassment and bullying policies, expectations and consequences for threatening behavior toward staff, investigation procedures, and sections describing supports available to students alongside disciplinary actions. Cates said the student code of conduct brings together the policies the board previously approved and packages them in a parent-facing format that will also be accessible through the district’s parent portal (FOCUS).

Board members asked detailed questions about third-grade retention, the criteria for good-cause exemptions, and how the district monitors students who have multiple retentions. Simmons explained the state’s good-cause categories (limited English proficiency, students with disabilities on alternate assessments, portfolio demonstration, intensive intervention, prior retentions, and others) and noted that portfolio promotion is uncommon because it requires students to meet a high percentage of benchmarks across the year. Simmons and Cates emphasized that retention is not treated as a first-line strategy; principals must participate in retention decisions and the district focuses on early intervention in kindergarten through second grade to prevent future retention.

District staff said they will publish the student progression plan as a live Google Doc with bookmarks by elementary, middle and high school sections and that the one-page parent letter will be attached to the online materials and pushed through FOCUS and principal communications. Simmons also said the board will receive summer-reading recovery and credit-recovery results at the next board meeting.

Board members and staff acknowledged a common public perception that students are “socially promoted” by age; Simmons responded that “there’s no such thing as social promotions” in the district and described the district’s guardrails for reassessments and retakes, including requirements that students complete formative work before being allowed to retake an assessment and a minimum recorded score floor (50) for retaken summatives.

The materials shown to the board are now posted on the Bay District Schools policies page and the district said both the full document and a Spanish translation will be available for parents. Staff asked principals and school administrators to distribute the parent-facing one-pager and to include links in school handbooks and orientation materials.

The presentation concluded with board members commending the accessibility features of the new document and staff saying they will continue to provide data updates and program outcomes to the board.","District staff presented a new student progression plan required by state law and a consolidated 76-page student code of conduct published as a live document on the Bay District Schools website; board members asked questions about third-grade retention, remediation, and parent access to the new materials.","actionData","errors"]

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Bay County School Board adopts tentative millage of 5.337 mills and $648.48 million tentative budget

Bay District Schools unveils new student progression plan and publishes consolidated student code of conduct