The 28 new school buses Pasco County students board this fall, the portable classrooms squeezed onto Wesley Chapel High School's campus, and the $3.8 million roof replacement underway there all draw from the same pot: a 1.5-mill capital outlay levy the School Board of Pasco County voted Tuesday, July 28, to continue for 2026-27.
That levy is projected to generate $101,672,603, according to the district's budget summary posted July 24. Florida law bars the money from paying teacher salaries. Instead, it covers buildings, vehicles, and infrastructure across the district's 100-plus campuses.
As we reported July 29, the board's tentative total levy rose about $17 million to $436,627,342, driven almost entirely by rising property values rather than a rate hike. The capital outlay piece is the slice most visible to Wesley Chapel families dealing with overcrowded hallways and aging facilities.
Where the $101.6 million goes
The district's official project list spells out what the levy buys:
- 28 new school buses plus fleet vehicles
- Roof repairs and replacement, including hurricane-damage renovation
- HVAC systems, flooring, and paving
- Security systems and fire safety retrofits
- Traffic safety improvements
- Portable classroom leasing at overcrowded sites
- Required charter school capital outlay
One Wesley Chapel example is already under contract. The board approved a $3,788,803 roofing project at Wesley Chapel High School with Advanced Roofing, Inc. on June 2, according to board records.
Overcrowding relief still years away
Wesley Chapel High is roughly 500 students over capacity; Wiregrass Ranch High is 600 to 700 over, according to Wesley Chapel Community Website reporting on the July 28 meeting. Planning Services Director Chris Williams told the board at a May 19 workshop that growth remains concentrated near Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch, even as traditional enrollment district-wide is projected to decline by about 2,001 students in 2026-27.
The gap matters. Until two new schools open in fall 2028, a medical magnet high school in Meadow Pointe and a K-8 in the Two Rivers development, portable classrooms funded by this levy are the district's primary short-term solution.
What homeowners should watch for
The 6.275-mill rate adopted July 28 is a ceiling. The board, led by Chairman Colleen Beaudoin, can lower it at the final hearing but cannot raise it without re-advertising. For a home with $250,000 in taxable value, the full school millage works out to roughly $1,569 before exemptions.
TRIM notices arriving in Wesley Chapel mailboxes in August are not bills. They show the proposed rate and list the date and location of the final hearing so residents can attend and object.
Chief Finance Officer Tammy Taylor told the board at its July 21 meeting that the tentative hearing action "approves the advertisements only," distinguishing it from the final adoption.
The final budget vote is scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, according to board agenda records.
