OKEECHOBEE — The Okeechobee County School Board held their first public hearing for the tentative millage rates and tentative budget on Tuesday, July 29. They voted to approve a tax rate of 3.136, an increase of 0.041 of the 2024-2025 millage rate of 3.096.

The operating budget totaled $75,067,908. The capital projects budget totals $68,946,868, of which around $42 million is going toward the construction of the new OHS building.

The approved total tentative budget for the 2025-2026 school year is $160,828,912.

At the meeting the board voted to approve the purchase of the adopted CTE textbook materials for the Entrepreneurship and Nursing Assistant- Health Science Anatomy and Physiology courses. Additionally, they approved the Memorandum of Understanding between Okeechobee County School Board, TNTP, and Carnegie Learning to participate in the Florida Middle School Math Initiative for the 2025-2026 school year. This initiative is intended to strengthen middle school math instruction.

Superintendent Tedders announced that there are currently 13 total instructional vacancies, seven of which are classroom teaching positions, and 19 non instructional vacancies.

Parents are reminded that Open House for the 2025-2026 school year is approaching. Dates and times are as follows:

• District VPK Program - Aug. 5, at 6 p.m.
• Okeechobee Virtual School - Aug. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m.

• All elementary schools - Aug. 7, from 5 to 7 p.m.
• All middle schools and Okeechobee Achievement Academy - Aug. 7, from 6 to 8 p.m.
• Okeechobee Freshman Campus and OHS - Aug. 7, from 7 to 9 p.m.