Concord School District presents $111.6 million FY26 budget proposal; estimated local tax rise 4.44%

Superintendent (name not specified) opened the Concord School District’s first public work session on the proposed fiscal 2026 budget on the board’s agenda, calling the presentation a “big picture overview” intended to give the board material for further deliberation.

“This budget is in response to your goal to change up the way the budget was delivered,” the superintendent said, introducing materials that the district posted online in advance of the meeting so residents could follow along.

Jack (finance staff, name not specified) told the board the proposed general‑fund operating budget is $111,574,863, a 2.84% increase over the current fiscal year. He said the estimated local tax impact of that proposed budget would be $0.62 per $1,000 of assessed value — a 4.44% increase in the local education rate that would move the local rate from 13.96 mills to 14.58 mills. When combined with the state education tax (which the district projected would not change), Jack said total education taxes would rise from $15.53 to $16.15 per $1,000 under the proposal.

The presentation framed the request as a starting point: officials repeatedly told the board that numbers would be refined during a multi‑week review and that decisions remain to be made before the public hearings and final vote.

Why it matters: the budget document layers several pressures that drive spending higher — staffing costs (about three quarters of the budget), negotiated contracts, insurance premiums and special‑education and out‑of‑district transportation costs — while proposing one‑time trust‑fund offsets to blunt the tax increase.

Key budget features and offsets

- Proposed general fund: $111,574,863 (2.84% increase over FY25). Jack stated the figure directly to the board.

- Estimated tax impact: $0.62 per $1,000 (4.44% local rate increase). Jack presented the arithmetic showing the local education rate rising from 13.96 to 14.58 mills and the combined education tax moving from $15.53 to $16.15 per $1,000.

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