Myths vs. Facts

Click or tap a myth below to get the facts.

Fact

Fact #1: While St. Johns County does rank near the top of the state in per capita income, that doesn’t necessarily translate to well-funded schools. The primary source of school funding is Ad Valorem (Property) Tax. Assuming a 96% collection rate, in Fiscal Year 2023-2024, St. Johns County had a total Adjusted Taxable Property Value of $52,049,365,056. When the statutory maximum millages for Discretionary Operational Funding (0.748 mills) and Capital Outlay Funding (1.5 mills) are applied to this value, both generate less than the state average in per-student funding.

2023-2024 Discretionary Operational Funding (0.748 mills)

County

96% of Taxable Value

Unweighted FTE

Per Student

St. Johns

$52,049,368,056

53,015.84

$734.36

State Totals

$3,203,404,634,199

3,056,958.87

$805.51

2023-2024 Capital Outlay Funding (1.5 mills)

County

96% of Taxable Value

Capital Outlay FTE

Per Student

St. Johns

$52,049,368,056

49,136.75

$1,588.91

State Totals

$3,203,404,634,199

2,366,794.28

$2,030.22

Fact

Fact #2: In 2022-2023, St. Johns County District Schools spent an average of $607.52 per student on administrative expenses. This is the fifth lowest of the 67 Florida counties and well below the state average of $720.18 per student.

Fact

Fact #3: While your overall property tax has increased, your school taxes have not. The chart below shows the school tax and millage rates for the average home, protected by homestead, in St. Johns County. The Required Local Effort (RLE) is a millage rate set by the state, and it has decreased over the past 10 years.

Fiscal Year

Assessed Value

Taxable Value

State RLE

School Taxes

2015

$295,305

$270,305

5.094

$1,377

2016

$304,164

$279,164

4.980

$1,390

2017

$313,289

$288,289

4.619

$1,332

2018

$322,688

$297,688

4.295

$1,279

2019

$332,368

$307,368

4.030

$1,239

2020

$342,339

$317,339

3.888

$1,234

2021

$352,610

$327,610

3.705

$1,214

2022

$363,188

$338,188

3.564

$1,205

2023

$374,083

$349,083

3.235

$1,129

2024

$385,306

$360,306

3.162

$1,139

Fact

Fact #4: Great schools make great communities. A high graduation rate contributes to low unemployment and a strong local economy. In 2023, the unemployment rate in St. Johns County was historically low at 2.7%. Great schools also contribute to increased property values, benefiting all homeowners.

Fact

Fact #5: St. Johns County generates less than the state average in capital outlay and discretionary operational funding (see Myth #1). Additionally, the school district ranks in the lowest five in the state for administrative expenses per student (see Myth #2). Cutting expenditures further would reduce services that directly support students.

Fact

Fact #6: Funds from the millage will support salary supplements, but this will not prevent base salary increases for employees. Base salaries for instructional and educational support staff will continue to be adjusted annually.
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