001Good afternoon. It is Monday, September 8th, 2025. I would like to call this special school board meeting for our final budget public hearing to order. Please stand for a moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance. >> Thank you. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Good evening, superintendent, fellow board members, staff, and the community. Thank you for being here with us this evening on this meeting prior to our regular scheduled meeting at 6. Um, we've got two topics to get into today, but before we do, I do have one public input card. Uh, Miss Cheryl Pavlaka, if you'd like to come on up to the podium and please give your
002uh name and address for the record. You do have three minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and board for giving me this opportunity. Cheryl Pavlaca, 1808 Kerry Street, Miniola. Um, first of all, congratulations. I heard we're an A-rated school as of last year. That's great. Um, and I want to thank uh and encourage more people to reach out to the CFO. He was amazing today. I came here really bare to to ask some hard questions, but I'm just going to make a few points. Just because the school taxable value has gone up due to rising values on existing property should not mean that we need to increase the cost per pupil spend. Looking at the beautiful graph on the website, you're projecting over an 11% increase per student from last year. Uh, and prior to that
003it was 8% from the prior year. This is the local board that controls that. That's you all. So, if we're A-rated, why do we need to increase 11%. I understand increasing cost, but I'd like you to consider that. I'd rather see that go to pay our teachers. Uh, why am I concerned? I'm a senior with limited income and no children in our a-rated schools. Yet, the board only takes the first homestead exemption. And I know from CFO that senior incomes uh the limited exemption is controlled by the state. So uh tax increases on property will cause more seniors to lose their homes and increase the dependence on the state. I understand like I said from the board CFO that we need to go to our state legislators to change this. I hope the board will
004support when we create that resolution and move forward with that. Lastly, I'd like to have you guys consider challenging the state on the RLE, the required local effort millage rate. The federal government has been talking and they've been proceeding to push the board of education funds back to the states. When they do that, I expected to reduce the RLE. I hope we're pursuing that and we should be lobbying the state to stay on top of that to get our share fair fair share of those funds. So, thank you for listening and taking the time to consider these comments. >> Thank you very much, Cheryl. We appreciate you being here and you being so diligent with this. All right. Any other public input cards on this um public hearing? All right. Seeing none, we're going to
005move on to item 3.01, the recommendation to adopt the 202526 final mill. Um, I declare this meeting as a public hearing of the school board of Lake County, Florida for the adoption of the final mill rates and the final budget for 25 202526 fiscal year. Superintendent, will you read your recommendation for the approval of the final mill rates? >> I recommend that the board adopt resolution 2025-07 determining the final mill rates to be lev levied for the fiscal year 202526. Included are required local effort including prior period funding adjustments millage of 3.087 mills basic discretionary of.748 mills and capital outlay millage of 1.5 mills and the additional voted approved 75 mills for the total of 6.085 mills. The revenues generated by the levy total general general operating of 181,642,830 and capital outlay of 71,46,739 for
006a total of 252,689,569. May I have a motion on the superintendent's recommendation that the board approve resol resolution 2025-07 determining final millages to be levied for the fiscal year 2025-26 as supported by FL DOE form ESC 524 >> so moved >> second >> got a motion by Mr. Matias second by Dr. Luke, any discussion? All those in favor? I >> I passes unanimously um at this time. Let's see. At this time, we'll have public input. Does anyone wish to um address the board concerning the increase of the mill rates? Nope. I skipped that part. We're going to do it anyway. We already did the um the vote on that one. Mr. Co, do I need to change anything or is that fine as it was done? >> Perfect. All right. Um superintendent, will you read
007your recommendation for the approval of the budget? I recommend that the board approved resolution 2025-08 adopting the final budget for the 2526 fiscal year in the amount of 1 bill222,124,078 as supported by FL DOE form ESC139 district summary budget. >> All right. May I have a motion on the superintendent's recommendation that the board approve resolution 2025-08 adopting the final budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year in the amount of 1 bill222,124,78 as supported by FLOE form ESC 139 district summary budget. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Got a motion by Mr. Dodd, second by Mr. Matias. Um at this time we'll have public input. Does anyone wish to address the board concerning the final budget? Seeing none, um, any board discussion? Cheryl, would you like to say something? Yep. Come on up. >> This is Cheryl
008Pavlaka again, 1808 Kerry Street. I would ask that in the resolution, uh, when I read it, um, the reason I had a lot of questions is it shows the final budget amount, but it says the adopted the final millage rate, but it doesn't state what the final millage rate is, the total of 6.0850. I think that should be in the resolution 2025-08. I don't know why it's not. Uh, is there a reason? >> Yes, ma'am. That one is in 2025-26, the one we just did prior. So, there were two separate topics. >> 07. >> Yes, ma'am. 07. Yep, that's right. I was looking this one too much. So, the first one we approved was the millillage and the second one we're discussing now is the budget. So, they're two separates that do go together. >>
009So, so you don't restate the millage rate in the budget? >> No, ma'am. >> Thank you. >> No problem. Good question. All right. Any discussion amongst the board? All right. All those in favor? >> I passes unanimously. This concludes the required action for the final public hearing on the 202526 final mill rates and budget for Lake County Schools. All required documents will be transmitted to the Florida Department of Education, the Florida Department of Revenue, and the Lake County Tax Collector's Office as required. All right, those are our two items on this special meeting. Um board members, any comments on this meeting? Superintendent. Any comments on this meeting? Mr. Cole? No, sir. >> Any objection to adjourning? >> No, sir. >> We are adjourned.