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Norfolk Public Schools projects lower operating expenses, prepares levy options after state aid drop
Summary
District finance staff presented a $60.7 million proposed budget for 2025–26, citing a $3.6 million drop in state aid and a 13% rise in property valuation that gives the district increased property tax authority. Board members discussed using cash reserves to limit levy increases.
Eric Wilson, Norfolk Public Schools finance staff, told the Board of Education that the district’s proposed operating budget for fiscal 2025–26 is $60,749,155 and that staffing accounts for about 84.7% of that total.
Wilson said the district’s property-tax authority would rise to about $39.3 million for 2025–26, reflecting a 13% increase in the district’s assessed valuation. “In 2526, our property tax authority is $39,322,000,” he said, adding the increase is intended to offset a drop in state aid.
The change in state funding is the principal driver of the district’s shortfall. Wilson said the district expects non-property revenue of $22,966,530 — including $7.6 million in state aid, $6.129 million in special‑education reimbursement and $2.7 million in federal grants — and that those amounts reflect certified state figures the district must use in its budget documents.
Why it matters: Norfolk faces a familiar local trade-off — balancing taxpayer burden and…
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