Oshkosh Area School District adopts 2025-26 budget, approves short-term line of credit

The Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education voted Aug. 27 to adopt the district's fiscal year 2025-26 budget and to renew a short-term line of credit to cover cash-flow needs until state revenue figures are certified.

The adopted spending plan projects a total tax levy of just over $68 million, including about $44 million in local revenue-limit levy, $21.5 million for referendum-approved debt (Fund 39) and roughly $2.7 million for community service. District finance staff told the board the district currently expects roughly $84 million in state aid and about $44 million in local levy based on the revenue-limit calculation; those figures will be certified by the state on Oct. 15 and could change.

Board members heard a detailed presentation from Drew Neehan, district finance staff, who told the board that the district must approve a budget now in order to short-term borrow for operating cash. "We need to approve it tonight to short term borrow," Neehan said. He explained the budget uses a three-year rolling average for resident membership (9,230 FTE in the presentation) and noted special-education reimbursement increases from roughly 30% to 42% that reduced transfer needs from the general fund.

Why it matters: board members and staff said the timing reflects cash-flow constraints rather than final state numbers. The district will not…