Sparta Area School District presents 2025-26 preliminary budget; electors approve $15.04 million levy

Sparta Area School District officials presented a preliminary 2025-26 budget Tuesday night and electors approved a $15,035,849 total school tax levy — a recommendation from administration reflecting updated state aid figures — with a corresponding mill rate of $7.17.

The budget presentation, delivered principally by Leah Hauser, director of business services, outlined a $44.1 million preliminary Fund 10 revenue estimate, projected use of fund balance to cover a $430,000 shortfall, and planned additional borrowing tied to the district's recently approved facilities referendum.

Hauser said the district's general operations combine Fund 10 (regular education) and Fund 27 (special education) for reporting and that the district's revenue limit — the state formula that funds roughly 80% of district revenue — will increase by $325 per student statewide. "The state set the size of our cup and they increased all districts' cup by $325 per student," Hauser said, describing why Sparta's local levy must rise when the state did not proportionally increase equalization aid. She added that Sparta will receive $29,982,000 in state equalization aid for 2025-26, a 1.76% increase from the prior year but lower than an earlier forecast presented in September.

The presentation detailed major revenue and expense…