Manatee schools face drastic cuts if 1-mill tax referendum isn't renewed

If voters don’t renew the School District of Manatee County’s 1-mill property tax referendum on Nov. 5, Kevin Chapman said the district will face tough decisions starting Nov. 6.

Chapman, the chief of staff for the district, said knowing the impact the millage has had on students and staff since it was first approved in 2018 as well as hearing the ongoing support from several community organizations and residents gives the district confidence that it will be renewed. 

Voters initially approved of the 1-mill property tax referendum during a special election in March 2018 with 51.38% of the vote. 

Voters renewed the millage during a special election in November 2021 with 69.27% of the vote. 

This year will be the first time the referendum is on the ballot during a general election. 

The referendum supports teacher and staff salaries, an additional 30 minutes to each school day, STEM programs, visual and performing arts programs, career and technical education and charter schools. 

If renewed, the referendum also will begin supporting early literacy initiatives, school safety and security, and athletics. 

Chapman said if the referendum isn’t approved, the district will have to begin building its budget without the millage, which has an adopted budget of just more than $75.5 million for 2024-2025. 

“You have to take each initiative or program and personnel that’s attached to those initiatives and programs in the millage and essentially zero fund them out in that first draft of the 2025-2026 school district budget,” Chapman said. 

Chapman said the district’s top priority if the referendum does not pass is to retain its personnel. A majority of the millage is allocated for teacher and staff salary supplements. 

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Chapman said the millage helps to ensure the School District of Manatee County remains competitive with surrounding counties to retain and recruit personnel, especially teachers and bus drivers. 

Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota and Charlotte counties all use a millage to support its school district. Chapman said Pinellas County is raising its millage from .5 mill to one mill, and Hillsborough County is bringing a millage referendum before voters for the first time Nov. 5. 

“We might significantly lose our talented educators and staff if we take those supplements and not find offsetting cuts for them,” Chapman said. “The issue is, there’s not much in the general fund to offset the millage expenses, which is why we need the millage. … If we don’t pass our millage, we have three surrounding counties with a millage and that’s where our talent is headed if we don’t figure that out.”

Chapman said anything paid for through the millage that doesn’t support the core educational subjects in which students are tested could be on the chopping block. Core subjects include math, English language arts, science and social studies. 

Charter schools, which currently have an allocation of 20.97% of the total millage or an estimated $15.8 million, would no longer receive funding through the millage.

Next under the microscope would be career and technical education, STEM and visual and performing arts programs and initiatives. Chapman said these programs and initiatives most likely would be significantly impacted, if not eliminated if the referendum is not renewed. 

The millage has given schools an opportunity to support the start of new visual and performing arts programs and purchase instruments. Schools also have purchased STEM equipment including robotic arms, laser engravers and Anatomage Tables. The millage also has funded travel expenses for students to go to competitions and participate in unique opportunities, including choir students performing at Carnegie Hall and participating in Technology Student Association competitions. 

Michael Barber, the director of communications, family and community engagement for the district, said students will miss out on those unique opportunities because there most likely would not be funds available in the district’s budget to cover the costs. Organizations and programs would have to raise the money to provide opportunities to students.

Chapman said not having the millage would result in a significant impact on the progress the district has made since it was first implemented in 2018 and even more so at a time when the district is increasing in enrollment and expanding with five new schools in the coming years. 

The district had the most schools receive an A rating at 24 schools since the 2012-2013 school year when it had 23 A schools. 

In the 2023-2024 school year, the district saw improvements in all achievement categories, including reading, math, social studies, science, middle school acceleration, college and career acceleration and graduation rate.