School Board lowers tentative millage rate to 4.069 for FY 2018-19

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
August 8, 2018 – 9:00 a.m.

The Nassau County School Board has unanimously approved the school district’s  tentative millage rate and budget for FY 2018/19, which begins on July 1, 2018 and ends on June 30, 2019. [Note that this fiscal year does not coincide with county and Fernandina Beach fiscal years, which begin October 1, 2018 and end September 30, 2019.]

The final vote on the proposed school district budget/millage will be taken following public hearing on September 13, 2018.

The School District’s approved tentative budget: $168,753,798.02.

While the total millage rate has been lowered, it exceeds the rollback rate by 1.03.  Because of increased property valuation by the Nassau County Tax Appraiser, it will bring in additional tax revenues.

According to School Superintendent Dr. Kathy Burns, “This budget includes funds for additional safety officers in our schools as well as increased mental health services.  Many new teachers were added to our district this year.  This year we also committed to additional technology for our high school students.

“The advertised required  local effort millage is 4.069 mills.  This is a decrease from 4.350 last year but will be advertised as increase because the new millage will generate an increase in revenue.”

Over the weeks ahead, Dr. Burns will be providing additional information and insights to assist the public in understanding the district budget.