Bay District Schools proposes 2024-2025 budget changes

BAY COUNTY, Fla. ( WMBB ) – Residents of Bay County will soon be able to see the new budget for Bay District schools.

On Wednesday, the school board voted to advertise the tentative budget for the 2024-2025 school year. The proposed total budget is a little more than $672 million, about $20 million less than last year.

The general fund is $16 million more due to an increase in the number of students. Homeowner’s millage rates will decrease to 5.31 mils. However, because of increased home values, the amount of revenue will be about the same.

BDS Chief Financial Officer Jim Loyd said they are prioritizing spending in the classroom.

“We’ve always been about education, but it seems to be more of a we’re trying to focus into certain areas to really, really get that improvement. In structure, instructional personnel support personnel to help that instructional personnel. You know, you’ve got different resource teachers and interventionists and things like that in schools that we may not had as much of in the past,” Loyd said.

The proposed budget will be available on the school district’s website on July 29th.

The school board’s first budget workshop and public hearing will be on August 1st, with board members approving a budget on September 10th.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com.