Alpine School District adopts FY25 final budget and approves tentative FY26 budget; board schedules truth-in-taxation hearing

The Alpine School District Board of Education on June 17 approved the district’s fiscal year 2025 final budget and unanimously adopted a tentative fiscal year 2026 budget with a recommended tax rate of 0.005553, the board president announced.

District business administrator Jason Sundberg and budget staff told the board the tentative FY26 budget reflects several notable revenue and expenditure shifts driven by state funding changes and local property values. Sundberg said the district’s total budget across all funds is roughly $1.3 billion, with about $953 million in the general fund.

The budget presentation identified the largest revenue changes as: a projected $3.3 million increase in earnings on investments, roughly $17 million attributed to increases in the Weighted Pupil Unit (WPU) calculation, about a $6 million increase to the Teacher and Student Success Act (TSSA) allocation and a roughly $7 million increase labeled “educator salary adjustments.” On the federal side, ESSA Title I funding was partially restored, increasing by about $3.4 million from the prior year’s level, Sundberg said.

The budget also reflects district cost pressures. Salary and benefits account for about 89% of…