The Blair Community Schools Board of Education approved a $68,772,308 budget for the 2025-26 school year and adopted a tax request resolution setting a total levy of $0.756182 during a special meeting Sept. 22 at district headquarters in Blair.

The budget vote and tax request matter because they determine the district's authorized spending across funds and the property tax rates that will appear on Washington County tax rolls. The adopted budget allocates $38,875,819 for the General Fund and lists detailed totals for other funds; the tax request resolution set General Fund requests at $18,270,960, Bond Fund at $2,000,915 and Special Building Fund at $2,442,820, for a combined tax request of $22,714,695.

Board members first considered two failed motions to adopt different budget totals before approving the $68,772,308 figure. An initial motion by Board Member Courtney Tabor, seconded by Board Member Denise Cada, to approve the district's 2025-26 budget as presented failed (Cada: Yes; Callaghan: Yes; Fredericksen: No; Larsen: Yes; Loseke: No; Schoby: No; Sturm: No; Tabor: No). A subsequent motion by Board Member Bob Schoby, seconded by Board Member Melaini Sturm, to approve a $68,340,990 budget also failed (Cada: No; Callaghan: No; Fredericksen: No; Larsen: No; Loseke: Yes; Schoby: Yes; Sturm: Yes; Tabor: Yes).

The motion that passed to adopt a $68,772,308 total budget was made by Board Member Ginger Fredericksen and seconded by Board Member Nate Larsen. The motion passed with these votes: Denise Cada Yes; Steve Callaghan Yes; Ginger Fredericksen Yes; Nate Larsen Yes; Kari Loseke No; Bob Schoby Yes; Melaini Sturm No; Courtney Tabor No. The adopted budget document lists the following fund totals: General Fund $38,875,819; Depreciation Fund $3,745,998; Employee Benefit Fund $2,538; Activity Fund $880,076; School Nutrition Fund $1,817,741; Bond Fund $15,116,906; Special Building Fund $7,825,889; QCPUF Fund $3,878; Cooperative Fund $100,000; Student Fee Fund $403,463. The motion also included an additional 1.5% revenue growth allowance for property tax authority totaling $435,675.

Separately, the board passed a 2025-26 Tax Request Resolution that specifies dollar requests and levy rates: General Fund request $18,270,960 (levy $0.608248), Bond Fund request $2,000,915 (levy $0.066611), Special Building Fund request $2,442,820 (levy $0.081323), for a combined levy of $0.756182 and combined request of $22,714,695. That motion was made by Board Member Courtney Tabor and seconded by Board Member Nate Larsen and passed with these votes: Cada Yes; Callaghan Yes; Fredericksen Yes; Larsen Yes; Loseke No; Schoby Yes; Sturm No; Tabor No.

The record shows the board conducted the votes and adopted the budget and tax request during the special meeting; the transcript does not record additional discussion or details about implementation steps or required external approvals.

The board had previously published meeting notice in the Washington County Pilot-Tribune & Enterprise and provided online access to the agenda and a notice about Nebraska's Open Meeting Law, Chapter 84, Article 14.