- December 4, 2025
Flagler Schools has a general fund balance of $11.2 million, according to updated numbers from the end of the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
Patty Wormeck, the district’s chief financial officer, delivered the annual financial report and cost report to the School Board at a special meeting on Sept. 23. At the adoption of the 2025-2026 final budget, approved two weeks earlier, Wormeck estimated a general fund balance of $9 million.
“We had estimated conservatively,” she said at the special meeting.
Wormeck said the district was able to start planning over a year ago with the knowledge that ESSER funds for COVID relief were ending. At the time the district began a workforce reduction by not refilling certain positions vacated by departing employees.
The biggest thing we did was holding strong on positions, making sure we didn’t hold onto unnecessary positions,
— PATTY WORMECK, Flagler Schools chief financial officer
“The biggest thing we did was holding strong on positions, making sure we didn’t hold onto unnecessary positions, and we did not use ESSER funds heavily for positions,” as some other districts had done, Wormeck said.
Salaries and benefits make up about 83% of general fund expenditures, she said, so using overages through attrition is the most effective way to pare down the budget.
The district also reduced department budgets by 4%, she said.
Board Chair Will Furry noted that with twice-monthly district payrolls of $5 million, the $11.2 million fund balance, is a bridge for two payrolls.
Keeping the fund balance healthy is important to be able to not add to debt service in paying for unanticipated costs, such as when an HVAC chiller went down at Flagler Palm Coast High School at a cost of $6 million, Wormeck said.
The district’s annual debt service is $5 million. It was refinanced in 2024, saving $100,000, Wormeck said. Five years ago, the district was also able to stop taking out six-month $10 million short term notes each summer to cover payroll until property taxes were received. That saved $100,000 a year in interest, Wormeck said.
Board member Janie Ruddy asked about future funding for free school breakfast and lunch for all district students. The program, funded for three years through the USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision, is scheduled to expire at the end of the school year.
Superintendent LaShakia Moore agreed that funding may be cut and the School Board may have to consider different models.
“We’ll begin talking about that as we close out the school year,” she said.
The board unanimously approved the financial and cost report with Derek Barrs voting remotely in his final meeting before his resignation took effect on Sept. 30.
“We have significantly put Flagler Schools in a healthier financial position,” Furry said after the vote.
