District presents budget options, warns state funding shift will cut local share; administration recommends modest salary cell increases and limited millage use

Lexington-Richland School District Five staff presented a budget update that predicts a reduced state share of K‑12 funding, recommends a modest teacher-salary increase and proposes using a small portion of available lookback millage to balance priorities.

Chief Financial Officer Heather Tucker told trustees February and March revenue collections for property taxes were above last year’s pace and that districts are seeing long-term shifts in state funding formulas. “This is to be expected,” Tucker said of revenue timing, adding that state-funded items previously covered — digital instructional tools among them — are being reduced or eliminated at the state level, creating new local costs.

Superintendent Dr. Ross and Tucker described how changes in state law and proviso 1.3 alter how new funds are distributed through Weighted Pupil Units (WPUs) and…