Hernando School Board Locks In $495.21 Million Budget, Tax Rate Stays Flat

The Hernando County School Board gave final approval to a $495.21 million budget for the 2026-27 school year, closing out a monthslong process that ends with property owners paying the same school tax rate they paid last year. The vote, reported Sept. 14, finalizes numbers that had shifted since the board's initial tentative hearing in July.

The total millage rate holds at 6.265, unchanged from the prior year. For a home valued at $300,000 with a $25,000 homestead exemption, that works out to a school tax bill of $1,722.88, the same amount that homeowner paid last year.

The approved budget comes in $16.29 million below the district's final 2025-26 budget, even though it is higher than the $490.5 million figure the board floated back in July. District officials had originally proposed the $490.5 million plan at a July 28 meeting, before refining the numbers through the tentative hearing on Sept. 8 and the final vote on Sept. 14.

Where the millage rate comes from

The 6.265 total mills break down into several pieces set largely by the state, not the local board:

• Required local effort: 3.009 mills
• Prior-period adjustment: 0.008 mills
• Discretionary: 0.748 mills
• Capital outlay: 1.500 mills
• Voted millage: 1.000 mills

The required local effort portion is set by Tallahassee and makes up the bulk of the rate. Local school boards have limited room to move it, which is part of why the rate has stayed flat even as the overall dollar figure for the budget has shifted between the summer and fall hearings.

Why the rate holds steady while property values climb

Hernando County's taxable property value, the tax roll, rose to about $21.762 billion, up more than $862 million from the prior year. Because the millage rate did not change, that growth in property values is what generates additional school tax revenue without raising anyone's tax rate. Existing homeowners whose property values didn't jump beyond typical assessment caps should see bills similar to last year's, while newly built or newly sold homes entering the tax roll at higher values contribute the extra revenue.

The board's next budget cycle begins with staff building a preliminary proposal for 2027-28, typically starting in the spring. No date for that first workshop has been announced. For now, the adopted numbers are final: the tax rate residents see on their November bills will match what the board approved this month, and the district's spending for the school year is locked in at $495.21 million.

Want to keep up with what the school board decides next, or talk through what this means for your tax bill? Visit Hernando County Community Website, follow us on Facebook, and join the conversation in our Community Forum. For more coverage of local schools and district decisions, visit our education section.