A ‘manly presence’: Manatee School Board OKs $1B budget, faces opposition to masks

A Manatee County political group said men would be “taking over” Tuesday’s School Board meeting to protest mask mandates, drawing national attention to an otherwise routine finance meeting.

The message called for a “manly presence” at the meeting, which was solely for the board to review and approve the school district’s budget and tax rates. A discussion on the board’s campus mask mandate, which was approved Aug. 16 and includes an opt-out clause, was not on Tuesday’s agenda.

Still, thousands of people shared the message — and their concern for School Board members — via social media and email. And though the message caused a brief stir, Tuesday’s meeting carried on with few disruptions.

Just over two dozen maskless men and women attended the meeting in downtown Bradenton, quietly waiting for public comment and watching as the board reviewed this year’s finances.

The Manatee County School District’s 2021-22 budget totals more than $1 billion. And the tax rate equals 6.876 mills, meaning taxpayers owe $6.876 for every $1,000 on their home’s taxable value.

The School Board’s five members approved the budget with a unanimous vote on Tuesday evening. They also voted 4-1, with Mary Foreman dissenting, to approve the millage rate.

And if it weren’t for the COVID-19 pandemic and the attempted protest, their meeting may have ended shortly after the approval. But on Tuesday evening, their vote was followed by an hour of public comment that was, for the most part, unrelated to budgets and taxes.

“I’m aware that the mask mandate discussion is not on the agenda tonight,” said Ryan McLaughlin, a father who addressed the School Board by phone. “I want you to know that it’s still a huge issue within the community and a big concern with parents.”

McLaughlin joined about a dozen people who used their three minutes of public comment to oppose Manatee’s mask requirement. Even the need to sign an opt-out form was unacceptable, they said, echoing a message posted on social media.

‘Men are taking over’

On Monday morning, Trump Train Manatee posted on Telegram, an online messaging service, starting a call to action with two words: “ATTENTION MEN.”

“Men are taking over the Manatee County school board meeting,” the post states. “You don’t have to be a dad to show up and/or speak. The school board has gone rogue. They have repeatedly ignored us. We are demanding that they make masks optional with no opt out form required.”

“You may speak in person or over the phone. However, I would like a manly presence there,” the post continues. “If you do not have a speech you would like to say, we can provide a speech to read. Be the man you are called to be. Step up and defend these children who cannot defend themselves.”

The post gained widespread attention after Sarasota attorney Ron Filipkowski shared a screenshot on Twitter, continuing his effort to expose groups that disrupt public meetings during the pandemic. More than 8,000 people have since shared the post online.

In turn, people from outside of Florida began to contact Manatee County School Board members out of concern for their safety. One person said she lived in New York and saw the screenshot.

“The fact that they want a ‘manly’ presence, sounds like they want to intimidate you,” the person wrote, urging the School Board to have law enforcement on hand.

While police officers did join the meeting, as they always do, there was no need for intervention. One after the other, about a dozen people took to the podium and opposed the mask mandate before quietly returning to their seats.

And unlike past meetings, when people disrupted public speakers who had a different viewpoint, the crowd remained largely silent as one man expressed support for masks on Tuesday evening.

Doug Hughes said masks were important in the fight against COVID-19, an illness that has led to 46,973 deaths in Florida.

“The virus doesn’t give a damn about politics,” Hughes said. “It doesn’t have to see a voter registration card prior to infection. There are thousands of immunocompromised people in this county who are at increasing risk based on the degree the virus spreads.”

A billion-dollar budget

Though the focus shifted to masks on Tuesday evening, the big decisions revolved around school finances.

The approved 2021-22 budget totals $1,068,672,387, a noticeable increase over last year’s budget of approximately $879 million.

That budget is broken down into seven categories:

• $526,548,840 goes toward the operating budget. That covers the cost of operating a school district, including salaries, school supplies and utility bills.

• $331,048,564 goes toward capital projects. That funding is used to construct, repair and maintain district schools and offices.

• $66,273,390 goes toward the special revenue fund, also known as the federal project fund. That sum includes federal money for specific programs and students.

• $63,768,047 goes toward internal services. That pot of money covers self-insurance programs, including the district’s Medical Insurance Program and the Workers’ Compensation Program.

• $43,305,288 goes toward debt service. That pool of money is used to repay the longterm debt of the school district.
• $36,509,508 goes toward food services. That money covers millions of meals provided to students during the school year and summer break.
• $1,218,750 is assigned to trust and agency funds.

The school district expects revenue from property taxes to go up by millions of dollars based on the growing population and rising home values in Manatee County.

And while revenue is expected to rise, the actual millage rate of 6.876 is lower than last year, when the School Board levied 6.972 mills.

A mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of a home’s taxable value, meaning the home’s assessed value minus the homestead exemption or other exemptions a homeowner may have.

Every year, the Legislature requires school boards to levy a certain amount — known as the required local effort — in order for the school district to receive millions of dollars in state funding.

The required amount has continually dropped since at least 2017, leading to the lower rate this year, according to district records:

• 2017-18, the required local effort was 4.36 mills.

• 2018-19, the required local effort was 4.083 mills.

• 2019-20, the required local effort was 3.887 mills.

• 2020-21, the required local effort was 3.724 mills.

• 2021-22, the required local effort is now 3.628 mills.

The board’s other millage rates remained the same:

• Local capital improvement (also known as capital outlay), 1.5 mills.

• Discretionary operating, .748 mills.

• Voter-approved increase on property taxes, 1 mill.

The school district’s one-mill increase on property taxes, first approved by voters in March 2018, is set to expire in June 2022.

Voters will decide this November whether to renew the tax hike, which largely goes toward higher teacher salaries and better science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs.

This story was originally published September 8, 2021 at 1:52 PM.