Mill referendum could net more than $37 million for Manatee school district

The Manatee County School District's one-mill referendum could bring in $4 million more than the district originally expected, according to the most recent projection, which was presented at a school board workshop on Tuesday afternoon.

The referendum could generate about $37.2 million a year, an increase from the original $33 million projection, according to a presentation by Jacob Davis, a human resources operations analyst for the school district.

Estimates are ever-changing and should be viewed with an abundance of caution, district spokesman Mike Barber said in a follow-up interview.

"Right now we're in the projection process and, until we know what the actual final numbers are, all we can do is make projections," he said.

Davis' presentation also outlined how many employees could be affected by the eventual pay increase.

Under the current projection, he said 2,892 instructional staff would receive $4,975 more per year, a number that does not include pay for the extended work day.

• 1,265 hourly, non-bargaining employees and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees will receive an estimated $1.29 more per hour
• 307 salaried, administrative, managerial and professional employees will receive an estimated $3,066 more per year
• 790 paraprofessionals will receive an estimated $1,690 more per year

Each group of employees will receive the same percentage that was previously reported, but the increased estimate could mean a higher raise for each employee.

As previously reported:

• Instructional staff will receive 51 percent of the revenue
• AFSCME and hourly, non-bargaining employees — 8 percent
• SAMP (school-based and eligible) and school administrators — 6 percent
• Paraprofessionals — 5 percent
• STEM, career and technical programs — 15.5 percent
• Charter schools — 14.5 percent

A mill is $1 per every $1,000 of a property's value, with the first $25,000 being exempt. The one-mill referendum passed on March 20 with 51.38 percent to 48.62 percent against.

This story was originally published April 10, 2018 at 8:07 PM with the headline "Mill referendum could net more than $37 million for Manatee school district."