More spending is proposed for the Monroe County School District heading into the 2025-26 year.
Last year’s proposed local school tax levy for the county was $162,097,294. This year’s is $174,035,881. The spending difference is in capital projects. The capital outlay millage of .6 mils will generate $34,015,836 for new construction, ADA compliance, safety and security, renovation and repair, two new school buses and maintenance vehicles.
The total proposed local school board millage rate for 2025-26 is 2.9470. This is an increase of .1 mills over the 2024-2025 millage rate of 2.8470. One mill represents $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of assessed property value.
In rough terms, without accounting for exemptions, that means an increase of $36.50 for every $500,000 of assessed property value. The total 2025-26 bill would be $1,473.50 for every $500,000 of assessed property value without counting on exemptions.
Charlene White, school district finance director, asked the school board at its July 22 meeting to approve the placement of advertisements informing the public of the proposed millage rates for 2025-26. The Truth in Millage (TRIM) notices sent out by the property appraiser’s office every year show another line item for state schools. Only a small percentage of the state school tax money comes back to Monroe County.
A decision on the proposed tax increase and school budget was set for a July 29 public hearing at the Key West City Hall. Another budget workshop will be held at Coral Shores High School on Aug. 19. A final budget hearing is scheduled for the Sept. 9 meeting at Marathon High School.
In other matters, the board spent a good deal of time examining the conceptual design for the Reynolds School renovation project in Key West. This is part of a plan that allows the district to vacate the administrative headquarters at Trumbo Point so the site can become affordable workforce housing. Through a public-private partnership, the district will develop 150 affordable housing units at its Trumbo Road property at no cost to taxpayers.
During the review, board members commented on details including the size of offices and the location of facilities. There was a general concern about respecting the building architecture and maintaining an open building facade. Board member Sue Woltanski asked particularly about fencing in the front of the building. Reynolds school is included in the Key West historic registry and board members are cautious about respecting the integrity of the original 1927 architecture.
Pat Lefere, executive director of operations and planning for the school district, briefly reviewed the status of the planned upgrades to the ballfield at Founders Park in Islamorada for the use of the Coral Shores High School baseball program. Planning staff from the school board and the village are moving forward with proposals and statements of need.
School board chair Mindy Conn raised the idea of using a food concession truck instead of investing in a brick-and-mortar concession stand for Coral Shores. She suggested the truck would provide flexibility to serve other sports at the school. Lefere replied that planners at the village liked the idea of having a concession stand available for the other events at the park, but he will provide a report on the comparative costs.
Lefere also reported on the costs and fees for the paid school lunch program. The National School Lunch Program subsidizes and closely controls funds for free and reduced-price meals in the county schools. The program requires schools to charge paying students a price for meals that covers the cost of the meal or gradually increases until it does cover the cost. The U.S. Department of Agriculture uses a formula to determine the target price each year. Failure to meet the requirement can lead to disqualification from the federal program.
The COVID pandemic disrupted the enforcement of the program. The need for accountability is returning and that means the costs of paid school lunches will rise. In the coming school year, the price of lunch in primary school will go up by 55 cents to $3.30. Lunch in high school will rise by 40 cents to $3.50. Lunch for adults will rise by a dollar to reach $5. There will be similar increase in the 2026-27 school year with an annual rise of 10 cents in following years.
The school board members discussed the problem of students building up debt and owing the district for unpaid lunches. Board member John Dick noted that the lunch debt is a long-standing problem. Conn asked Lefere to provide more information on the size of the debt.
