Board places tentative 2025–26 budget on public display, schedules hearing

The Board of Education voted Aug. 12 to place the tentative 2025–26 budget on public display and to adopt a resolution establishing a public hearing on the budget.

District staff presented highlights from the tentative budget during the meeting, describing overall revenue, fund-by-fund detail, and major transfers. The budget presentation noted total combined revenues of $124,600,000 and a total combined budget figure stated in the presentation as $144,000,000. The presentation reported revenues by source as roughly 65.7% from local sources, 29.4% from state sources and 4.9% from federal sources.

Staff said the district’s EAB (estimated assessed base) increased by 10.5 percent and the levy rate decreased from 6.19 percent to 5.69 percent based on earlier approvals. The presentation said revenues for all funds were up about 2.35% over last year’s budget, primarily driven by higher assessed values rather than a higher tax rate.

The budget overview also included fund-level notes: a large transfer of $13,830,000 from the ad fund to debt service; a total operation-and-maintenance payment described in the materials as $22,000,004.48 to be paid in two pieces (the presentation described roughly $1,014,000 paid in July and the remaining about $21,000,000 in January); and details that most personnel costs comprise the largest share of expenditures (the presentation cited 68.7% of total spending going to salaries and benefits and 15.1% for debt service).

A motion to approve the tentative budget, waive its reading, and place it on public display was made by Mister Parisi and seconded by Doctor Benoit. The motion passed on a roll-call vote with the board voting in favor.

The presentation referenced several fund balances and one-time transfers and noted this tentative budget will be further reviewed before the public hearing. The transcript does not provide the exact date set for the public hearing in the record.