Taxes won’t be going up for schools in Lexington 1.

On Tuesday, June 22, after a public hearing and meeting of the Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees, the board approved a 2021–2022 general fund operating budget of $304,035,616.

The estimated $304,035,616 general fund operating budget for 2021–2022 represents about a 2.25% and $6,702,363 increase over last year’s $297,333,253 general fund operating budget.

It consists of about 88.30% salaries and related costs, 7.11% for programs and services, and

4.59% for utilities and maintenance.

The district anticipates a 2% student increase of 515 students, 73.27 certified and licensed professional FTE, and 10 support and administrator additions.

Administrators recommended a budget that includes no mill increase.

The district’s 2021–2022 general fund operating budget is supported, in part, by revenue generated from school operating millage (shown on tax bills as “School 1 Operation”).

However, homeowners do not pay taxes for school operating millage on their homes due to a law called Act 388, passed in 2006.

Act 388 eliminated school operations property taxes in their entirety for all owner-occupied residential property. Since then, revenue from one cent of the sales tax reimburses school districts for the remaining property tax relief (shown on tax bills as “School Tax Credit”).

The operating millage will remain at 308.86 mills and bring in an estimated $93,400,000.

The district also does not request an increase in debt service millage (shown on tax bills as “School 1 Bonds”). Debt service millage will remain 90.00 mills. Because of the one-cent sales tax, a portion of that 90 mills for school bonds is also offset by a tax credit.