West Lafayette board hears 2026 budget overview, warns of shrinking tax base and enrollment

The West Lafayette Community School Corporation board reviewed the proposed 2026 budget and a long-term fiscal outlook at a Sept. 8 work session, hearing that modest state funding increases and declines in enrollment and assessed value will pressure the district's finances in coming years.

“Tonight is the budget workshop for the 2026 budget,” said Missus Cronk, a business‑office staff member, opening the presentation that laid out revenue, levy and fund projections and the corporation’s budget calendar.

Board members were told the district expects only modest increases in state tuition support — about 1.13% for the 2025–26 year and 1.48% the following year after removing a one‑time curricular materials payment — while enrollment trends and changes from the recent legislative session threaten longer‑term revenue. “We’re kind of moving into a cash conservation mode, okay, to prepare for that coming down the pike,” Cronk said.

Why it matters: West Lafayette budgets depend on two key variables — student enrollment and certified assessed valuation — and the district’s documents and outside fiscal modeling presented at the session show both are likely…