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Centennial School District budget vote fails as board deadlocks over tax increase
Summary
The Centennial School District Board failed to adopt a final 2025–26 budget after multiple motions to set a real-estate tax increase did not gather five votes. Trustees debated a proposed 4% levy and several lower-rate alternatives as administrators warned of growing structural deficits and a shrinking debt-service reserve.
The Centennial School District Board of School Directors failed Tuesday to adopt a final 2025–26 general fund budget after repeated votes on a proposed tax increase produced no majority. The administration presented a budget showing $156,447,125 in expenses and $151,904,429 in revenue, leaving a projected general-fund gap of roughly $4.5 million; the board voted down the administration’s 4% tax-increase proposal and two lower-rate alternatives and left the matter unresolved.
The result matters because the district is relying on money held in its debt-service fund to help cover operations while expenses — including special-education placements, benefits and contractual increases — continue to rise. The business administrator warned that the debt-service fund is projected to fall from about $15 million to roughly $8.8 million under current assumptions, and trustees cautioned that continued draws on savings could hurt future bond refinancing and capital work.
Board members debated the math and the trade-offs for more than two…
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