Grain Valley R-V reviews preliminary 2025–26 budget, flags state funding and tax-collection risks

Grain Valley R-V administrators presented a preliminary 2025–26 operating budget showing total revenues of $66,086,933 and planned expenditures of $65,894,181, producing a projected surplus of $192,752.

The presentation emphasized that a large portion of the revenue change stems from an increase in the State Adequacy Target (SAT). “The legislature did increase the SAT. It is sitting on the governor’s desk. He has indicated that he is going to sign it, but it isn’t signed yet. So we’re building this budget on the assumption that the governor’s going to sign it,” Dr. Gooch said, urging caution because the district’s final revenues could swing by roughly $2 million depending on the final SAT amount.

Administrators also highlighted a local cash-collection issue: roughly $2.6 million in property tax receipts remain outstanding, including about $550,000 in protested assessments. That shortfall is the main driver behind a projected operating fund balance of 21.75% for 2024–25, down about 1 percentage point from the prior year.

Why this matters: the budget outlook affects staffing, one-time equipment purchases and the district’s capacity to absorb revenue volatility. Administrators said they are prioritizing one-time purchases and holding recurring hires until revenues are more certain. For example, the district plans to order four large buses and two smaller “white buses,” but will delay final authorizations if the state funding or county assessed valuations fall short.

Key details and administration assumptions - Revenues (preliminary): $66,086,933; expenditures (preliminary): $65,894,181; projected surplus: $192,752. - SAT increase included in the draft budget is about $2,484,000 (administrators noted the estimate moved from roughly $680,000 in April to $2.4 million in the updated draft). - Projected operating fund balance for 2024–25: 21.75% (administrators called this a modest decline tied mainly to delayed property-tax collections). - Uncollected local taxes: about $2.6 million outstanding, including $550,000 protested. - Planned one-time capital items: four large replacement buses and two smaller buses; purchases may be delayed pending revenue confirmation. - Debt-service projection and refunding activity were discussed; projected cash at June 30, 2026 was shown at $10,723,438 in the presentation.

Administrators also walked the board through multi-year projections under two compensation scenarios: (1) a $1,000 base increase for certified staff with 2.6% equivalents across other groups, and (2) a $500 base increase with lower percentage increases for classified/administration. These multi-year scenarios include placeholders for step movement (administrators said they budget $200,000 annually for step increases) and show how recurring raises would reduce the district’s margin over time.

Administrators repeatedly emphasized contingency planning: delaying bus orders and other one-time spending if state funds are withheld or if assessed-valuation growth falls short. “We’ve got some safety levers. We’re going to show that we also are budgeting for four large buses and two of the smaller white buses. Some of that equipment we’re going to wait on until we see how the state revenues are coming in in the fall,” Dr. Gooch said.

Background and next steps The board received the budget as a workshop presentation and was told the proposed budget will return as an action item at the business meeting in three weeks. Administrators urged the board to consider the budget’s sensitivity to the SAT, county collections and potential withholdings at the state level.

Ending Administrators advised the board that the draft is intentionally conservative on recurring hires and that staff will return with the formal proposed budget and a detailed line-item attachment at the next meeting for board action.