School District Finance Director Kim Lake presents the 2019-20 budget to the school board.

By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

            Levy County School Board members Tuesday tentatively approved a $79 million budget for next year laden with state tax money.

            The $33.6 million in state funding comes with the usual strings attached.

            School board members have no control over the property tax millage they levy in the 2019-20 budget. The Florida Department of Education sets the millage.

            The state instructed the school district to levy a 3.8640 mill required local effort that would generate just over $8 million or it would lose the state money.

            DOE also required the board to levy a basic discretionary property tax of 0.7480 mills, and a 1.5 mill tax for capital outlay for such things as maintenance and construction.

The school board tentatively approved a combined tax rate of 6.1120 mills.

            School District Finance Director Kim Lake presented the budget to the board.

            The Levy County School District can’t exist without state and federal funding.

            When the district officials go to Tallahassee on Aug. 14 to make their case for building a new Chiefland Middle High School, they know the school district will rely largely on state money for funding the new facility.

            DOE will rank the project. The higher the school project is ranked by DOE, the better the chances of receiving state funding.

            In a county with a weak property tax base, the school board must depend on the Florida Legislature and DOE for operating money.

            Much of the money it receives from the state must be spent for specific purposes. The board has little control over how the funds are spent.

            The school board’s budget sets aside $34.6 million for salaries and benefits. The board is one of the biggest employers in the county.

            Julia Oberst, coordinator of food services, said her department provides 1.25 million meals during the year with a total budget of about $3.4 million from federal and state sources.

            Oberst recently asked the media to post a message stating that ALL students enrolled in Levy County public schools will receive meals at no charge during the 2019-20 school year.

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School Board of Levy County Regular Meeting July 30, 2019; Posted July 31, 2019