Center Grove board adopts 2026 budget, approves multimillion-dollar appropriations and bond resolutions

The Center Grove Community School Corp. Board of Trustees approved the district's 2026 budgets and a set of related resolutions and appropriations at its meeting, adopting plans for capital projects and the bus replacement program and authorizing bond-related actions for districtwide maintenance.

The vote adopted the 2026 budgets for all funds and five related resolutions: the 2026 capital projects fund plan, the 2026 bus replacement plan, appropriations and tax rates, a blanket appropriation modification to permit year-end transfers, and a resolution to transfer amounts from the education fund to the operations fund. Board members moved and approved the package by voice vote.

Why it matters: the actions set the district's fiscal framework for 2026, allocate planned capital spending, and authorize borrowing and transfers that enable ongoing projects and operations.

During a presentation, Dr. Jason Taylor summarized the requests and described several additional appropriations for the remainder of 2025. "We're asking for an additional appropriation from the operations fund for $1,000,000," he said, adding that the money will "cover the additional personnel cost for the last 6 months," property-casualty insurance and additional maintenance and equipment purchases. Dr. Taylor said the education fund request totals $3,000,000, with $1,000,000 intended for curriculum materials and $2,000,000 for personnel costs in the final six months of 2025, reflecting new hires including seven teaching positions and one instructional assistant.

The board also approved appropriations for two construction-related accounts tied to ongoing projects. Dr. Taylor said the board must appropriate estimated interest earnings before they can be spent: an amount currently "not to exceed $2,700,000" for the Middle School Central project and $5,300,000 for the district's G.O. bond work. He said the larger package was originally forecast at $8,000,000 but that, because of the way projects were packaged, the district cannot exceed a combined $25,000,000 cap on both projects and that some work will be moved to future projects.

Board members approved a resolution to issue bonds and related resolutions for the districtwide long-term capital maintenance and equipping project. Dr. Taylor described the motion as authorizing lease and bond issuance actions that will support the district's technology, capital projects fund (CPF) plan and bus replacement program. The board also approved an amendment (described in the meeting as the tenth amendment) to an existing lease as part of the project-start process; the building corporation met earlier and took related actions before the board approved the amendment.

No members of the public spoke during the hearings tied to these items. Multiple motions were made and approved by voice vote; the board announced the ayes as carrying each matter.

The board said there were no changes to the management budget since the budget hearing and that the resolutions follow prior-year practices for capital and bus planning. The superintendent's office noted that further actions on specific bids and additional appropriations will return to the board later in the procurement and appropriation process.

The board scheduled its next executive session and regular meeting for Nov. 20, 2025, at the Superintendent's Conference Center.