Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Middletown board adopts 2025–26 budget proposal, sets May 20 vote with 1.99% tax‑levy increase
Summary
The Enlarged City School District of Middletown board adopted the proposed $276.4 million budget for 2025–26 and placed it on the May 20 ballot. The plan would raise the tax levy by 1.99% (about $1.4 million) and remains under the state—s 2% tax cap; board members highlighted possible effects if voters reject the budget.
Edwin Estrada, president of the Enlarged City School District of Middletown Board of Education, on Thursday presided as the board voted to adopt the district's proposed 2025–26 budget and place it on the ballot for the May 20 budget vote.
The board approved the proposed $276,417,004 budget, an increase of roughly $13,700,000 from the prior year (about 5.23%). The board also adopted a tax‑levy increase of 1.99%, described by district staff as an increase of about $1.4 million. The measure will appear as Proposition 1 on the district ballot on May 20.
Why it matters: The vote determines the district's spending plan and tax levy for the school year. State rules limit most tax‑levy increases; the district said the proposal stays under the 2% cap now but noted that equalization rates and the still‑unpassed state budget could change individual taxpayers' bills.
The board heard the budget presentation from Mr. Tuttle, a district staff member who led the review. Tuttle described the three components required by law — administrative, program (instruction), and capital — and said the district is "under the 2% tax cap by law." He outlined a budget process that included two prior public presentations and community engagement events, including a Meet the Candidates night on May 5 at 7 p.m., a presentation to the City Council on May 6, a final review May 12 at 6 p.m., and the budget hearing required by law before the May 20 election.
District staff told the board that, because the state legislature had not finalized the state budget at the time of the meeting, the district reduced some line items in a way believed to be "not too detrimental to the system." The board was also briefed on contingency procedures should voters reject the budget: the district would revert to last year's tax levy and operate on a contingent budget that prohibits new purchases except for health and safety needs and limits other expenditures.
Board members expressed unanimous support for the draft and praised administration for ongoing engagement. Several members, including board member Mr. Perino and Pastor Williams, noted the long run of fiscal restraint and encouraged community turnout for the May vote. Board members emphasized that the ultimate tax effect varies by municipality because of equalization rates.
The resolution to adopt the budget and place it on the ballot passed 8–0. The board also approved the property tax report card and related procedural items tied to placing the proposal on the ballot.
What happens next: The formal budget hearing and the May 20 vote. If the budget is rejected by voters, the district described the legal contingency process and said it would reinstate the prior year's levy and limit purchases to health and safety items and preauthorized facilities expenses.
Speakers quoted in this article are identified in the meeting record and attributed by their role in that record.
