School Board Adopts a $598 Million Budget

The Manatee County School Board voted 3-2 Thursday to adopt a $598 million budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year.

In addition to approving the budget, the board voted 3-2 to increase the county's millage rate for schools to 7.960 per $1,000 of a home's assessed value, up 0.369 mills. Board members Julie Aranibar and Karen Carpenter voted against the budget and increasing the millage rate.

Many of Thursday night's speakers came to the meeting to urge the school board to increase taxes.

Murray Miller, who has a child in school at , said that the school board did a lot of cutting before bringing the budget to a public hearing.

Murray said that if the board decided against raising the  millage rate  it was being "penny-wise and dollar foolish."

"Books, supplies, electricity and gasoline have all gone up," he told board members. "Understanding that and planning for it is paramount to success. Decreasing the millage rate is a gamble."

Others at the meeting argues that their expenses were also going up across the board, while salaries are being cut and that they can't afford to pay a higher tax in the fall.

Darrian Taylor urged board members to oppose the tax increase, saying that she had gotten her TRIM notice and that while the value of her home had decreased, her taxes would increase $475.

"We are maxed out," Taylor told school board members. "All of our consumer goods have skyrocketed. We can't afford another thing."

 In the end, the school board was as divided as the audience, but the budget including the increased millage rate was narrowly approved.

The budget did include paying off more than $8 million in debt from capital projects. With the millage rate at 1.50 for capital improvement projects there is little left over after paying the debt. This year the schools will focus on just necessary maintenance and a limited number of technology improvements.