State legislators who visited the Franklin Board of Education on July 9 said provisions in the recently enacted state budget will increase the district's spending authority by roughly $4 million over the next two fiscal years and provide targeted grants for mental health, professional development and curriculum choices.

The information matters because the allocations and formula changes the legislators described could affect how the district budgets for special education services, staffing and programs that the board has prioritized since the referendum.

At the board meeting a state legislative visitor summarized the budget's local implications, saying the biennial spending authority for the district will rise by about $4 million across 2025-27. He told the board special-education reimbursements will increase in the second year of the biennium and cited figures he said the Legislative Fiscal Bureau provided: roughly a 42% reimbursement level in the first year rising to about 45% in the second year. He also said high-cost special-education aid would rise from an estimated 50% in year one to about 90% in year two for qualifying cases.

The visitor also described separate, targeted state funding included in the act: $40 million in general purpose revenue (GPR) in the first year and $10 million in the second year for comprehensive mental-health services, plus what he described as an additional $1.5 million for an early-literacy screener program. He identified a roughly $37.1 million biennial GPR allocation for grants to reimburse districts for curriculum choice and professional-development expenses (referred to in the discussion as Act 20 funding) and said the law leaves room for districts to file claims for eligible professional development that already has been delivered.

On open enrollment the visitor said the budget adds roughly $1,600 per incoming open-enrolled pupil for 2025-26; in his description that change shifts a portion of the previous reimbursement structure so that districts receiving students under open enrollment will receive an additional per-pupil amount. He also said library aids received a modest increase he estimated at about $3 million and that the Legislature had made a number of one-time and continuing adjustments the district should review carefully.

The legislators and staff repeatedly warned that some language and implementation details remain to be clarified in the weeks following adoption. The presenter urged district staff to track application windows and claim procedures at the Department of Public Instruction and to pursue eligible reimbursements, saying, "the money's out there for that purpose." He also cautioned that final parameters for many line items were still being worked out and encouraged school leaders to consult the fiscal bureau and DPI staff for application guidance.

Board members asked questions about how the changes would affect local levy limits and property-tax bills. The visitor said the governor had used a line-item veto in the prior session to limit levy-related adjustments and that the veto constrained how much state aid could be traded for levy increases, which, he said, would likely be unpopular with some taxpayers. He concluded by offering legislative staff assistance for questions about applying for grants and locating program guidance.

Board President and district staff thanked the legislators for the briefing and for offering follow-up support. The visitors remained for public questions and a short discussion with board members after their presentation.