School board committee advances 2026 budget line items, approves multiple staff and program changes

The school board's committee of the whole met in a special call to consider A05/2026 budget line items and approved multiple line-item motions, covering millage, salaries, personnel changes and security equipment funding.

The committee considered whether to request additional millage and how to move program-specific collections into the general fund. "It was the original recommendation of the superintendent to not ask for millage," Miss Hart, a staff member presenting the budget, told the committee; she then led members through individual line items so the board could vote on each. The committee also approved moving current-year 4K collections into the general fund, subject to actual pupil counts that determine the final dollars collected.

Why it matters: The committee's votes set the district's proposed budget lines that will be presented at the public hearing and next steps toward the board's first reading. Several personnel and compensation decisions will affect operating costs and school staffing next year.

Key decisions and discussion:

- Millage: The superintendent's recommendation to ask for zero additional millage was presented for a board vote. Presenting staff…