Seaman USD 345 board schedules FY26 budget hearings, ratifies 2025–26 teacher agreement and sets pay increases

The Seaman USD 345 Board of Education voted to publish notices for the district’s fiscal year 2026 revenue-neutral rate hearing and for the FY26 proposed budget, ratified the district’s 2025–26 negotiated agreement with the Seaman Education Association (SEA) and approved pay-rate increases for employees not covered by that contract.

Superintendent Wilson, speaking during the board’s superintendent remarks, thanked SEA negotiators and district representatives for reaching the agreement, saying, "I want to personally thank Donna Street for leading the negotiations for SEA, and Marty Neinstead, of course, with Donna and Braden and, you others sat in when necessary as well, who represented the board of education." The board subsequently moved to accept the 2025–26 negotiated agreement and the motion carried by voice vote.

District finance staff (identified in the meeting transcript as Lisa) reviewed enrollment and tax formulas that affect state aid and local taxes. Lisa explained that a recent change in state law requires districts this year to use either the current-year or the preceding-year enrollment to determine state aid, accelerating how enrollment declines affect revenue. She gave numerical examples the board can use to answer taxpayer questions: a hypothetical $200,000 market-value home receives a $75,000 automatic exemption for the general fund calculation; after applying the 11.5% assessment rate used for residential property, the example produced a $14,375 assessed value and $287.50 in general-fund taxes under a 20-mill levy. Lisa also said the district’s proposed revenue-neutral rate calculation initially estimated a rate of 51.966 mills but that, after completing the budget, the district’s calculation came in at 51.452 mills (lower than last year’s 51.466). She told the board the district plans to publish the required notices and hold the hearings next month.

On specific motions and votes:

- The board voted to publish the notice of the FY26 revenue-neutral rate hearing in the Metro News. A roll-call vote recorded in the transcript shows the following board members voting yes: Diana Brodie; Braden (Brandon/Braden variant in transcript) Warner; Donna McGinty; Christy Wyler; Joe Fadel; Chris Travis; Tom Norton. The motion was announced as approved.

- The board voted to publish the notice of the FY26 proposed budget hearing in the Metro News. A roll-call vote recorded in the transcript shows the same recorded votes in favor (Diana Brodie; Braden/Brandon Warner; Donna McGinty; Christy Wyler; Michelle Pavel; Chris Travis; Al McDonough), and the motion was announced as approved.

- The board approved a set of policy updates that had been reviewed at the prior meeting. A motion to approve the policy updates as presented was moved and seconded; the board approved the motion by voice vote.

- After an executive-session discussion of negotiations, the board moved to accept the 2025–26 negotiated agreement with the Seaman Education Association and announced the motion carried. The transcript records a follow-up motion to "establish the 2025–26 pay rate increases for employees not covered under the negotiated agreement," which the board also approved by voice vote.

Lisa also reviewed the district’s year-end transfer requests for board review: $535,172 from the general fund to special education and $787,143 from the supplemental general fund. The transcript presents those figures for the board’s review; the transcript does not show a separate roll-call approval of those specific transfers during the portions of the meeting text provided.

The board held multiple executive sessions during the meeting for labor negotiations and student/employee confidential matters; each executive session was announced with an estimated return time. The actions reported above — publication of budget notices, approval of policy updates, acceptance of the negotiated agreement and approval of pay-rate increases for noncovered employees — were recorded after those discussions.

Next steps the board identified in the meeting: publish the revenue-neutral rate and FY26 proposed budget notices in the Metro News and hold the public hearings next month; implement the ratified 2025–26 negotiated agreement for SEA-covered staff; and apply the board-approved pay-rate increases for noncovered employees. The transcript does not specify exact hearing dates or the effective dates for the pay increases beyond the referenced 2025–26 contract year.