- October 5, 2026
The Flagler County School Board approved the final millage rate and a budget of $353,097,566 for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
With only three board members present, Christy Chong, Janie Ruddy and Lauren Ramirez voted unanimously to adopt the budget and total millage rate of 5.312 on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
The total millage rate is less than the roll-back rate. The state sets the Required Local Effort millage, which will be 3.064 with the amount to be raised at $60,555,292.
This will be the 15th consecutive year that the state has lowered Flagler’s RLE millage rate.
“We are in the unfortunate situation where our revenues are not keeping up with the costs,” Patty Wormeck, Flagler Schools chief financial officer, said. “As our property values go up, our millage continues to go down. It’s a way for the state to keep funding balanced for all school districts.”
The discretionary operating millage rate is 1.500, and the local capital improvement millage rate is 0.748, both of which have not changed in 17 years.
Of the $29.6 million to be raised from the 1.500 millage, $465,517 is needed to add to the fund balance reserves with $2.4 million for debt service payments and $3.3 million for maintenance, renovation and repairs paid through the general fund.
A record 2,473 students are choosing family empowerment scholarships, or school vouchers, totaling $17,329,690 according to the Florida Education Finance Program’s 2026-27 second calculation.
The estimated general fund revenue is $167,063,346 with estimated expenditures of $161,058,715 for an estimated fund balance at the end of the fiscal year of about $6 million.
The board has been without a fifth member for nearly a year. That seat will be filled by Cathy Moon in November. Board Vice Chair Will Furry, who lost his bid for reelection last month, was absent from the public hearing to adopt the budget and millage rate, leaving the board with three voting members.
