Why is the 1 Mill so important? Take a look at our budgeted funding per student over the last 12 years. You’ll notice the trend line on this graph that compares funding to the Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation or buying power. While state funding has increased over time, you’ll notice the widening gap in spending power because of inflation. Thankfully, because of our community’s support of the one mill special millage, we’ve been able to continue providing a high level of service that otherwise would have been impossible. The additional one mill has helped offset the impact of inflation on our operating funds over the last 12 years. The blue bar represents funding generated by the one mill special millage, all of which stays here in Orange County to support Orange County Public Schools. As you can see, the gap between projected funding and the Consumer Price Index – the blue line, is still $722 short when compared to pre-recession dollars. That’s still an 8.7 percent gap.