New Prague board votes to place operating referendum question on Nov. 4 ballot; approves FY26 budget and several resolutions

The New Prague Area Schools board on June 23 voted to place a new referendum revenue question on the Nov. 4, 2025 special election ballot, approved the district's preliminary FY26 budget and took several related fiscal actions.

Board members approved two related resolutions: one that the board had found it "necessary and expedient to increase the school district's general education revenue by $510 per pupil, subject to an annual increase at the rate of inflation," and a second formal notice of the special election to be held Nov. 4, 2025, with required public‑notice steps described in the resolution. Dan (board clerk) read the resolution language aloud during the meeting.

District business staff had presented two comparable ways to frame local funding: an operating referendum described in board discussion as $2,000,000 per year for 10 years (about $20 per month on a home valued at $400,000, the district's stated median) and a potential separate bond for safety, security and deferred maintenance. Administrators said the board's preference was a single‑question operating referendum to maintain positions and programs rather than a multi‑question ballot.

Brian Feld, the district's director of business services, presented the FY26 preliminary…