OKEECHOBEE — The Okeechobee County School Board held their first public hearing for the tentative millage rates and tentative budget on Tuesday, July 28. They voted to approve a tax rate of 3.093 mills, a slight decrease from the 2025-2026 millage rate of 3.096.

One mill equals $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of taxable property value.

The operating budget totaled $67,626,028, a descrease of $7,729,709 from last year. The capital projects budget totals $32,725,592, a decrease of $36,523,551 from last year due to the fact that around $42 million of last year’s total went to the construction of the new Okeechobee High School.

The approved total tentative budget for the 2026-2027 school year is $115,495,604, down $46,497,581 from last year. Most of the decrease being attributed to the construction of OHS last year.

At the meeting the board also discussed the parking lot issue at the new high school. The parking lot is not yet complete and isn’t expected to be finished until November of this year. In the meantime, some students who drive to school will have to park across the street from the school. There was also the issue of where buses will be parking for drop-off and pick-up. The details have yet to be determined.