North Bend SD 13 budget committee approves $68.6 million proposed budget, levies permanent tax rate of $4.1626 per $1,000

The North Bend School District 13 budget committee approved a proposed 2025–26 budget of $68,632,056 and unanimously approved a permanent tax levy of $4.1626 per $1,000 of assessed value, then recommended the budget and levy to the district school board for final adoption.

The committee’s presentation and discussion centered on the district’s general fund reserves, staffing assumptions built into the proposed budget and several program- and capital-related line items. Committee members and staff emphasized that the budget is built on current staffing levels to preserve flexibility, not as a guarantee that every budgeted position will be filled.

District staff told the committee the district’s beginning general fund balance is estimated at about $8,000,000. If the district maintains current staffing levels throughout the year, staff projected an ending general fund balance of roughly $4,200,000 at the end of the next fiscal year; that figure equals the board-required minimum the presenters referenced. Staff said the proposed budget therefore uses reserves to retain flexibility but warned that filling every budgeted position without additional revenue would rapidly reduce reserves in subsequent years.

Why it matters: the budget size and levy affect local property taxpayers, staffing and program decisions, and the district’s ability to respond to enrollment changes and unanticipated cost increases (for example, PERS rate increases and higher referee, travel and technology costs). The budget committee approved the appropriation authority and tax rate and forwarded the proposal to the school board, which must act to adopt the final budget and levy.

Key financial, program and policy details

- Budget total and levy: The…