Small tax cut in tentative school budget

About 70 full-time positions are eliminated in the School Board of Highlands County's tentative budget for 2010-11, which includes a small decrease in the proposed school property tax rate.

The positions cut from the budget include 28.5 teachers and 43.5 support workers.

The proposed total millage is 7.616, which is a decrease of .071 mils from the 2009-10 tax rate of 7.687 mils.

"So far they've cut approximately 70 positions," said Mike Averyt, assistant superintendent of business operations. At this point the budget is balanced, but the school board can make changes until the final public hearing.

The total tentative 2010-11 budget is $127,375,000, which is about a $10 million decrease from the 2009 budget of 137,461,000.

"The biggest drop was in the capital funds area where we finished up the projects," Averyt said, referring to the new classroom buildings at the Lake Placid middle and high schools.

The capital fund decreased from $24 million to $15 million.

There was little change in the general fund budget, Averyt noted.

The proposed tax rate of 7.616 mills includes a 1.5 mill property tax the school board will consider to continue to impose for capital outlay projects.

The approximately $7.65 million in capital outlay revenue would fund the following:

• Additions, remodeling and renovations to physical education facilities countywide.

• Construction of a new bus compound in Lake Placid.

• The purchase of three school buses.

• County wide equipment

• Payments for educational facilities and sites due under a lease purchase agreement.

• One year lease of portable classrooms and lease of Firemen's Field.

If the proposed tax rate is approved without any changes, school taxes on a property with an assessed value of $125,000 with a $25,000 homestead exemption, would decrease from $769 in 2010 to $762 in 2011.

The first public hearing on the tentative budget will be at 5:30 p.m., Monday, in the Garland Boggus Board Room, 426 School St., Sebring.