The Osceola County School Board adopted a total millage rate of 5.306 mills and a $2,021,532,997 budget for fiscal year 2025–26 following a public hearing and roll-call votes on Sept. 9.

The vote implements a property tax structure the district said is required to receive state funding under the Florida Education Finance Program. District staff noted the adopted total millage is 1.02% above the rollback rate and represents a 0.037‑mill decrease from the prior year’s rate despite an increased tax roll that will generate about $16.8 million in additional school‑related tax revenue compared with last year.

District presenters explained the mechanics during the hearing and cited state requirements under the Truth in Millage (TRIM) law. “This is the final public hearing on the proposed millage rates and annual budget for fiscal year 25–26,” a district staff presenter said before the presentation moved into detailed slides on FEFP and millage components.

Why it matters: the millage and budget determine most of the district’s operating and capital funding for the year. District staff said the FY2026 figures include roughly $423.6 million in state FEFP funding and about $28.6 million in compression funding, and that funding per student is projected to rise by about $151 (1.77%) over the prior year.

Board action and numbers: the board adopted Resolution 26‑003 setting the millage components at: required local effort 3.048 mills; prior‑period funding adjustment 0.01 mills; discretionary operating 0.748 mills; and capital outlay 1.5 mills, for a total of 5.306 mills. The board then adopted the FY2026 budget, $2,021,532,997, by roll call; members recorded on the roll call as voting “yes” were Theresa Castillo, Besaida Garcia, Heather Cahoon and Paula Bronson.

Supporting detail: presenters walked through how a mill is calculated and provided an example homeowner calculation. Using a hypothetical home with an assessed value of $225,000 and the homestead exemption, staff said school‑related ad valorem tax would be about $1,061.20. Staff also presented a long‑range forecast showing the district closed FY2025 with a projected general‑fund deficit and is intentionally using portions of accumulated fund balance to maintain staffing after federal pandemic-era ESSER/ARP dollars expired.

Public comment: one speaker, Zinelli Hernandez of Moonstone Bend, asked about a roughly $15.4 million line shown for food services in the special revenue fund and why transportation spending showed a large decrease. The district responded that child‑nutrition programs are funded through the federal Child Nutrition Cluster and therefore tracked in a separate special revenue fund, and that transportation revenue is driven by state funding tied to ridership under the FEFP.

What’s next: the district will operate under the adopted millage and budget for FY2026 and carry out the capital and operating plans included in the adopted documents. The board concluded the final public hearing at the end of the roll‑call votes.