GRESHAM, Ore. — The Gresham‑Barlow School District Board of Education on Wednesday adopted a $286,594,641 budget for the 2025–26 fiscal year, approved related appropriations and imposed the district’s permanent tax rate for general operations.

The action came after public comment and several budget committee reviews. The board also approved the district’s proposed fee schedule for secondary schools and set nonresident tuition at $11,139 for the coming year.

The budget measures were moved and seconded by board members: Director Blake Peterson moved to adopt the budget and Director David Lickatich seconded. The board subsequently moved to appropriate the funds and to impose taxes at the permanent rate of 4.5268 per $1,000 of assessed value for general fund operations and $23,654,755 for bonded debt. The board recorded the actions as approved at the meeting.

Board and staff said the document reflects cleanup of accounting across grants and general fund lines. Interim Superintendent John Cook told the board some positions previously paid from pandemic-era grants such as ESSER had not been fully reflected in the general fund in prior years; staff said correcting that accounting made some administrative costs appear to increase though those positions already existed.

Cook said the district tried to protect school safety investments. “We’ve actually enhanced some of our safety systems this year,” he said, naming a COPS grant that helped integrate hardwired security systems and upgrades to about 100 cameras. He said the district had also sent notice to the community about gun-detection technology as part of safety improvements.

The board approved a fee schedule intended to reinstate some secondary fees that were suspended during the pandemic while keeping athletic participation fees flat and removing an automatic AP-exam charge: families may opt in to AP exam fees. Officials said waiver and reduced-fee options will be available through schools. The board also approved the district’s nonresident tuition amount, which is the state-derived per‑pupil rate used when districts accept tuition students from outside district boundaries.

Why it matters: Adopting the budget and imposing taxes are the district’s primary legal actions that authorize spending for next school year and set local tax levies that underwrite school operations and debt service. The board also received a Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission (TSCC) review and must file the adopted budget with TSCC by July 15.

Board response and next steps: Several board members and budget‑committee volunteers said they had dug into line items and raised questions about administrative costs and set‑asides for curriculum and facilities. Staff offered to meet with board members and community members for deeper line‑by‑line review if questions remain. The board noted it will file required certifications with TSCC and continue public reporting.