School City of Mishawaka finance staff reviewed proposed 2026 budget projections and held required public hearings on the bus replacement and capital projects plans during the Sept. 10 board meeting.

Presenters said the district projects approximately $720,000 from the state for curriculum rental and also proposed setting aside $499,000 from unspent funds to avoid taking a common school loan; combined these amounts were characterized in the presentation as roughly $1.2 million available for curriculum rental in 2026. The education fund revenue projection presented was $46,888,421, and staff provided an adjusted figure to account for curriculum rental and other line items.

Finance staff explained that technology staffing and budget items were moved into the referendum fund in response to legislative changes, along with four social workers and the school resource officer. The operations fund faces pressure from levy and circuit breaker effects: staff said the district would receive a levy estimate over $4 million but that the circuit breaker at 2.9% will reduce available levy receipts to about $1.6 million, prompting careful monitoring of costs.

The presenters noted the debt service increase tied to beginning payments on the Hums building in July and said no bus purchases are planned for next year, easing the bus replacement schedule. Public hearings on both the bus replacement plan and the 2026 capital projects plan were opened and closed with no public comment; the district will bring the budget to the board for adoption on Oct. 8, 2025.

Finance staff said they planned to upload spreadsheets to Indiana Gateway to make building‑level details available to the public.