District officials presented the proposed 2026 budget, a three-year capital projects plan, a five-year bus replacement plan and a preliminary bond proposal capped at $17 million during a public hearing. Assistant Superintendent Todd Armstrong explained the legal disclosures required for the bond preliminary determination hearing and said the administration expects to structure the issue to be levy neutral for next year. "The bond issue plan is a $17,000,000 bond issue," Armstrong said, adding the district used 5.5% as an estimated interest rate and listed a maximum estimated interest of $3,285,000 over the life of the issue. Armstrong told the board the maximum debt-service levy shown in the resolution would be $5,087,000 and the maximum potential tax-rate increase in advertising materials could be 0.0968 — about nine cents — while stressing the district’s intent is near-rate neutral for next year. The presentation included budget figures the administration used for planning: a proposed education fund appropriation of about $88.2 million, a debt-service appropriation near $6.56 million, a rainy-day fund appropriation of $1.1 million, and an operations fund appropriation of about $41 million. Armstrong also described the board’s three-year capital projects plan and a bus replacement plan that lists $1,054,000 estimated to buy six buses, at roughly $160,000–$190,000 each. Armstrong said the district is experiencing declining enrollment (current reported enrollment about 9,750) and that the education fund is largely personnel costs (92.6% salaries and benefits in the presented estimate). He noted the district’s outstanding long-term bonds from 2022 and 2024 will retire in the next two years and explained how that repayment schedule restores bond capacity quickly after the proposed issue. The hearing was informational only; no vote was taken. The board was told a second public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 22, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., after which the board could adopt a resolution if it chooses.