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Annandale school board sets $750-per-pupil operating referendum for special election
Summary
The Annandale Public Schools board approved placing a $750-per-pupil operating referendum on a special election ballot for 10 years with an annual inflation adjustment; board members cited state funding changes and projected deficits as rationale.
The Annandale Public Schools board voted to place an operating referendum on a special-election ballot asking voters to authorize $750 per pupil for 10 years, with the amount to increase each year by the rate of inflation beginning in taxes payable 2027.
Board members said the measure is intended to cover recurring revenue shortfalls driven by recent state and federal funding changes and local enrollment declines. The board’s motion to call the election passed on a roll call after a motion by Jen and a second by Melissa; board members Jen, Melissa, Jenna and Gina voted yes.
School finance staff told the board that $750 per pupil would generate roughly $1.4 million in additional revenue under current enrollment assumptions. District presenters and trustees described several funding pressures that informed the ask: a roughly $365,000 net increase in required expenditures and reduced revenues that appeared after the district finalized its January reductions (including an $83,000 decrease in Title funding tied to federal census data, higher liability insurance costs, higher special-education care-and-treatment costs, increased legal fees, and reductions in compensatory and special-education transportation revenues). The district projects its general-fund reserves will decline from about $1.6 million in 2024 to approximately $600,000 in 2026 under current assumptions.
Board members described community input gathered at six public listening sessions and several small-group meetings. Trustees said attendees repeatedly urged clearer communications about how levy dollars would be used and requested simple, face-to-face outreach. The board also discussed the trade-off between asking for a larger amount and the risk of losing voter support; multiple trustees said $750 represents a balance between need and electability.
The board read the official ballot language into the record before the vote: “Shall the school board of independent school district number 876, Annandale Public Schools, increase its general education revenue by $750 per pupil for a period of 10 years beginning with taxes payable in 2026, with the authorization to increase each year by the rate of inflation beginning with taxes payable in 2027, unless otherwise revoked or reduced as provided by law?”
Trustees and staff emphasized that levy revenue takes effect after voters approve it (the district noted the funds would be available beginning with taxes payable in 2026) and that passing the referendum would not immediately eliminate the district’s financial pressures. Officials reiterated that enrollment changes, salary negotiations and future state funding decisions will continue to affect the district’s budget.
Board members encouraged residents to use the district’s tax calculator to estimate household impacts; presenters said a $750-per-pupil levy would not translate directly to $750 in homeowner taxes and gave an illustrative example that on a $400,000 house the annual tax impact would be roughly $300 under current assumptions.
The board approved a motion to call a special election on the ballot language read at the meeting.
