SCHOOL BOARD SETS NEW BUDGET AT $3.1B

Total drops by $330M from last year, but operating costs go up.

The Palm Beach County School Board adopted a nearly $3.1 billion budget Wednesday evening.

That sum is down by $330 million from last year, due in large part to some forgiving refinancing moves on its debt. But it also includes $50 million more in its operating budget, which must cover growing expenses including roughly 2,800 more students and new school safety mandates.

In a good news-bad news scenario, the district’s budget sorts as follows:

Homeowners can expect to see school property tax rates drop again, bringing them to their lowest point in seven years — $6.57 per $1,000 of taxable value. Due to rising property values across the county, however, homeowners would find their bills going up slightly. Taxable value overall across the county increased by a little more than 5 percent.

Unlike city and county governments that have wide latitude BE INFORMED. BE EDUCATED

■ Get frequent updates on education news in Palm Beach County and beyond. Join the conversation at our Facebook group: Extra Credit Palm Beach County schools. in setting tax rates, school taxes are dictated largely by the state. School boards usually can’t raise property taxes unless they ask voters to approve a rate hike through a referendum.

The budget has little room to spare, according to Chief Finance Officer Mike Burke. Without some relief, the reserves set aside for salaries wouldn’t cover much more than a 1 percent raise for the 12,900 teachers and more than 9,000 other staff, he said.

The school board will ask residents to provide that relief by voting for a $150 million property tax hike in November. Passage would boost teacher salaries that have languished over the past decade and also pay for enhanced security. The proposed tax, totaling $200 million, would replace an expiring one that sent $50 million a year to pay for 650 art, music and choice program teachers. Those jobs are in the balance should the referendum fail.

Two years ago, voters agreed to help the district’s capital budget, which state legislators had restricted after the Great Recession. A penny sales tax split by the board with the county and cities pays for repairs to roofs, air conditioning systems, fences, technology upgrades as well as renovating and replacing old schools.