Kensington district debates $4.5 million operating budget as voters weigh citizen petitions on cap and audit

KENSINGTON — School officials presented a proposed $4,500,298 operating budget for the Kensington School District at the district’s deliberative session, and residents debated two citizen-petition warrant articles that would limit future district budgets and push for an outside financial review.

School business officials and the district’s superintendent, appearing at the deliberative session moderated by Harold Bragg, told voters the proposed 2025–26 operating budget represents a $128,000, or roughly 2.9 percent, increase over last year. Administrators identified the main cost drivers as facilities and maintenance (about an $35,000 increase), special education (about $34,000), and employee benefits (about $58,000, largely for insurance and retirement expenses). Officials estimated the budget change would add about $0.19 per $1,000 of assessed value; using district valuation examples, they said a $500,000 home would see an approximate $93 annual tax impact.

The district and SAU staff briefed voters on other budget-related items on the warrant: three expendable trust requests (up to $10,000 for special education, $10,000 for building repair and maintenance, and $5,000 for technology). Officials said the special‑education and building repair trust accounts each hold about $77,000 and the technology fund about $5,000; the trusts are funded from available fund balance and intended as a buffer against unanticipated, large outlays such as out‑of‑district special‑education placements.

A contentious part of the evening focused on two citizen petitions that would change how the school budget is set. Article 5 would direct the district to adopt a per‑pupil cap (proposing $28,500 per pupil, adjusted annually by CPI‑U), multiplied by the district’s average daily membership in residents; proponents argued the cap is a “common‑sense” way to control taxes. Opponents, including multiple parents and district…