District finance staff presented the tentative budget timeline and figures to the HHart District 3 School Board on Aug. 11 and a motion was made and seconded to place the tentative budget on public display and publish the required notice.
Finance staff told the board that "the school code requires that the board adopt a tentative budget and have it put on display for 30 days." Staff said administrators' and department budgets were due back in April and that the budget development process began in earnest after those submissions.
Staff presented the district's prior-year unaudited actuals: total revenues of $46,217,361 and expenditures of $45,631,400. The presentation reported the original FY '24 budget called for a $2,100,000 deficit that had been intentional and would use reserves. For the coming year staff presented anticipated totals of $46,083,275 in revenues and $46,000,000 in expenditures, which staff said would hold overall fund balances.
Finance staff also noted transportation reimbursement changes cited as historical 80% reimbursement, with current rates presented as 61% for special education and 71% for regular education; staff linked those rates to transportation claim reimbursements.
Board members moved and seconded a motion to publish the tentative budget and required notice for public display; the transcript records the motion and second but does not include a roll-call vote or final recorded outcome within the captured excerpt.