Starpoint presents $71.54 million budget; vote set for May 20

STARPOINT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT officials presented the proposed $71,539,177 budget at a public budget hearing Tuesday, telling voters the plan represents a 5.79% budget-to-budget increase and that the district will hold the budget vote on May 20 in the high school music room.

Budget presenter Jonathan Andrews said the total increase is composed of a 4.19% baseline rollover and a 1.6% addition tied to a previously voter-approved capital project. He told the audience the district’s tax levy is proposed at $37,015,960 and that the levy change includes a 3.38% rollover component, a 2.27% portion related to the capital project, and a 1.22% adjustment for the loss of certain PILOT (payment-in-lieu-of-taxes) arrangements.

The budget matters to taxpayers because, Andrews said, the apparent levy increase includes elements that have no tax impact on most residents: one business is covering the full 1.22% PILOT-related amount, and roughly $50 million in property assessments tied to the newly taxable buildings will affect the tax rate calculation. “Net budget is $71,539,177,” Andrews said during his presentation.

Andrews also reviewed cost drivers in the proposal: transportation fuel, utilities, health insurance and additions for special education staffing. The draft includes two full-time special education teachers, one and a half long-term special-education substitute positions used as placeholders, and a full-time special education teacher aide, as well as a director of technology. He noted the district has used reserve funds and expects state aid to offset some debt costs but cautioned that state aid runs had not yet been issued: “We did get notification that the state budget was passed, yet really hasn’t because there are no state aid runs,” Andrews said.

An audience member asked why interest payments on bonds rose by more than $1 million compared with the prior year. Andrews explained the jump reflects new borrowing for the capital project and said the district borrows in phases to match construction cashflow rather than borrowing all funds up front. “We only borrow what we need for the construction that’s happening now,” he said, adding that state aid and reserve use offset some of the interest and that additional borrowing for phase two is expected in a later year.

District officials described the contingency if voters reject the budget twice: the district would need to cut roughly $2.4 million to meet the tax levy cap and adopt a contingent budget. No formal board action on the district’s 2025-26 budget occurred at this meeting; the hearing was a public review ahead of the scheduled May 20 vote. Voters also will elect three three-year board seats on May 20.

Next steps: the district will take public questions through the budget vote on May 20; administrators said they will continue to publish budget detail and answer voter questions in advance of that election.