Bennington Public Schools proposes $140.1 million 2025-26 budget; tax request about $42 million, levy unchanged

Bennington Public Schools presented its proposed 2025‑26 budget at a special budget hearing Sept. 8, asking for $140,138,659 in total budget authority and a tax request of $42,036,377 while saying the district’s combined levy would remain unchanged at $1.35.8.

The district’s budget summary showed a $56,980,007 general‑fund request, special‑building funds of $56,458,806, bond funds of $17,583,315 and a QCPUF balance of $700,638. “I’d like to note that this is the NDE budget,” the district presenter said, referring to the Nebraska Department of Education submission and describing it as a worst‑case scenario the district does not expect to fully spend.

The budget presentation centered on three revenue dynamics: rapid local property valuation growth, state equalization aid and a 30% property‑tax credit the state reimburses to taxpayers. District staff told the board the district’s total valuation rose to about $3,000,000,096 — an increase of roughly 9.3% year over year — with about 3% of valuation in Washington County and the rest in Douglas County. Officials said 4.9 percentage points of this year’s increase was attributable to new growth such as newly built homes and commercial valuation.

State aid (equalization) has fallen in recent years, district administrators said. The presentation listed state equalization aid for 2025‑26 at roughly $14,069,664, a decline of about $153,000 from the prior year and the third consecutive annual decrease. District staff noted that special education funding improvements have helped blunt levy pressure in prior years and projected roughly $5.3 million in special‑education aid next year, almost 10% of estimated general‑fund revenue.

The district told the board it is constrained by state caps: the general and special‑building funds combined cannot levy more than $1.05 without an override, cash reserve is limited to 25% of expenditures, and NDE budget authority generally rises by 2.5% (excluding federal expenditures). Staff said the district’s property tax request authority under statutory calculations could allow a higher request than the board plans to pursue; the district’s planned tax request is about $3 million below that authority.

On expenditures, the presentation showed personnel costs account for roughly 81.5% of the $56.98 million general fund request. The district estimates personnel costs will rise by about $3.1 million to cover raises and additional staff tied to enrollment growth; the presentation said Bennington employed about 570 people, including about 390 certified staff and 180 support staff.

Administrators emphasized growth and enrollment forecasts as key budget drivers. The district reported a 3.65% student enrollment increase this year to about 4,427 K–12 students (above 4,500 when pre‑K is included) and projected enrollment near 5,000 K–12 students by the 2029–30 school year.

Board members raised clarifying questions during the hearing about how levies and equalization interact. In response, district staff explained the state’s funding formulas model district capacity as if taxed at $1.00 per $100 of valuation and then adjusts equalization aid accordingly; changing the local levy without broader statutory change generally does not alter the state’s equalization calculation.

The board closed the required public hearing and later placed budget approval on a Sept. 23 agenda for final adoption. District staff also said the county will mail a bright pink postcard to notify residents and that the district will participate in a joint public hearing at the Omaha–Douglas County Civic Center Sept. 17 because the requested revenue increase exceeds the county’s 2% + growth threshold for holding the hearing at the county level.

Votes and formal actions from the meeting included unanimous approval of the consent agenda and formal adjournment of the special budget hearing; both motions passed on recorded roll call votes.