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Auditors give district a clean audit; presenters review revenue, expenditures and debt posture
Summary
External auditors reported a clean audit for Garden City USD 457; district finance staff reviewed per-pupil funding, mill levies, revenues by source, expenditures by function and outstanding debt.
Auditors delivered a clean audit report for Garden City USD 457 and district finance staff presented a multi-year overview of the district's finances, including per-pupil funding, the mill levy, revenue sources and outstanding debt.
District presenters told trustees the state's statewide education levy is 20 mills, and that the district's budget-per-pupil number for 2025 is $5,378 in the general fund and $17,835 across all funds for 2024. Presenters showed an inflation-adjusted comparison that would add about $2,189 per pupil if funding had kept pace with inflation. The district's full-time-equivalent (FTE) student count for 2024 was presented as 6,632.
The presentation broke down expenditures across funds and functions: instruction accounts for about 42% of expenditures alone and roughly 67% when combined with related student-support categories (student support, health care/KPERS, instruction support). Presenters said recent spikes in capital spending were driven by large HVAC projects and reroofing; health insurance and KPERS costs have been rising steadily.
On revenue, presenters reported state resources represent about 66% of the district's revenue (the 20-mill statewide levy is included in that category). Local property taxes were reported as roughly 11% of revenue. The district reported total funds of about $39,000,000 at year-end, an increase of approximately $14,000,000 compared with the prior year, which the presenter said was in part due to changed encumbrance practices and planned activity.
Debt figures: general obligation bonds were reported at about $74,000,000 and finance leases (largely tied to HVAC projects) at $12,000,000; employee compensated absences were listed at $911,000.
Nut Graf: The audit report was clean, and the financial presentation emphasized long-term capital spending and constrained local tax contributions; the data underscore the district's dependence on state funding and the budgetary pressure from rising personnel-related costs.
Ending: Board members asked no follow-up questions on the audit; staff thanked the finance and audit teams for their work.
