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Hernando Today

Tax Rate Set For Schools

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By LINNEA BROWN

Hernando Today

Published: July 30, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - It's not going to be an easy year.

That's the word from the members of the Hernando County School Board, who voted 3-0 Tuesday during their first budget hearing to approve a proposed millage rate of 7.78, which will generate $84.4 million in tax revenues at 95 percent collections.

This is nearly 0.29 mills less than this current fiscal year's millage rate of 8.065.

The millage rate is $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value. At that rate, a property owner who owns a $150,000 house with a $25,000 homestead exemption will pay $972. Last year, the same homeowner would have paid $1,008, or $36 more.

Excluding transfers, the district's 2008-09 tentative budget is $419.9 million, a decrease of nearly $29 million or 6.4 percent less than the current year's budget.

Board members expressed frustration at the leaner circumstances, but said they'll do what they can with less.

"Every time the state says they're going to hold schools harmless, they don't," board chair Sandra Nicholson said. "A lot of people will say (cut the budget more), but we have more and more students. That's the reason our budgets keep going up, and we're here to serve the students of Hernando County."
Finance director Deborah Bruggink, who gave a presentation on the budget's breakdown, explained much of that is because the state has been shifting more and more of the funding burden to individual districts.

One of the biggest hits was felt by the district's capital fund, to which the state did not allocate any new funds for classrooms or new construction. While this will impact future construction projects, the new schools slated to be built off Hexam Road in Spring Hill are still going through as planned.

Board member Pat Fagan stressed the importance of making sure hired contractors are using local labor and materials whenever possible for all board-approved projects, and facilities director Roland "Bo" Bavota assured him that the district tries to take work and materials from within a 50-mile radius.

"We do everything we can to keep it within the county," he said.

Revenues from the district's general fund - used for day-to-day expenses - decreased by $1.8 million. The majority of the decrease is from the Florida Education Finance Program, which is the state's funding program for public schools.

As part of a belt-tightening plan already in place, the district aims to save $2.14 million by cutting 54 teaching positions and 28 instructional aids, though no one will lose their jobs.

At a workshop earlier that afternoon, board members approved Superintendent Wayne Alexander's revamped reorganization plan, in which he will save the district more than $220,000 by eliminating initially recommended positions, including the executive director of special programs and operations and the director of special programs. Work would be redistributed between other district department leaders.

The board thanked staff for taking on extra work, and assured them that the situation is not permanent.

"I think everyone realizes we're going to have to do more with less," Fagan said. "We all have to 'buy in' and do whatever we can to make sure our students are getting everything they need."

"Until a point in time down the road that funding is available to make these changes, I think they're livable," he added.

But Alexander warned board members that the extra workload may become a burden for staff if it increases any more.

"At some point, we will reach a breaking point," he said.

The district's income could get worse. In June, Hernando County School District officials received a letter from Florida's education commissioner warning districts to prepare for an expected additional 2 percent reduction in revenue from the state.

Locally, that translates to an estimated $3.3 million that the district will likely have to slice from its 2008-09 budget or the district's "rainy day fund," with additional cuts expected following a special state legislative session in November.

Board members Jim Malcolm and Dianne Bonfield were out of town and could not attend the meeting.

The district's next budget hearing is set for Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. in the board room at the district's headquarters, located at 919 N. Broad St. in Brooksville.

Reporter Linnea Brown can be reached at 352-544-5289 or lbrown@hernandotoday.com.

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