Greencastle-Antrim board approves 2025-26 budget, millage increase and routine contracts; vote counts recorded

The Greencastle-Antrim School District Board of Directors approved a package of fiscal and personnel actions at its June 5, 2025 interim meeting, including a real-estate millage increase, the 2025–26 general fund budget, a homestead/farmstead exclusion resolution and transportation contracts.

Board members voted 8–1 to increase the real-estate millage rate described in the meeting packet as moving “from 1 23.79 to 1 28.74” for the 2025–26 fiscal year; the board stated that change represents a 4.4% increase and “realizes a little over $1,100,000 in new revenue to be transferred directly into the capital projects fund.” Mr. Benitez voted no on the millage increase; eight other board members voted in favor.

The board then approved the proposed 2025–26 general fund budget on a roll call vote; the meeting record shows unanimous approval. The superintendent said the proposed operational deficit in the packet would be relieved with fund balance. The board also approved a resolution implementing the homestead and farmstead exclusion (Act 1 of 2009 mentioned in the meeting) and accepted negotiated transportation contracts for 2025–26.

Other routine approvals included acceptance of the student handbooks and codes of conduct for the primary, elementary, middle and high schools for 2025–26; approval of a new standards-based grade report card; acceptance of two new tuition students for the 2025–26 year; approval of personnel items a through h; and payment of district invoices.

The board approved the general-fund invoices presented for payment; the superintendent reported the general fund invoices totaled approximately $2,379,097 and student-activity fund bills about $7,006.76. All finance- and personnel-related motions besides the millage change passed by unanimous roll call (8–1 on millage).

During the meeting the superintendent read Policy 6.20 (fund balance) to clarify how the district describes its fund balance procedures; the superintendent said the item “just reflects more clearly what we do with our funds as opposed to the broad description that was in the previous” policy. That policy reading was presented for consideration and will return for formal action at a later meeting.

The board scheduled its June 19 meeting as a voting meeting to act on additional personnel and presentation items prior to summer staffing changes.

Votes at a glance - Student handbooks/code of conduct (2025–26): Motion approved; roll call recorded as unanimous (9–0). - Standards-based grade report card: Motion approved; roll call recorded as unanimous (9–0). - Acceptance of two tuition students for 2025–26: Motion approved; roll call recorded as unanimous (9–0). - Invoices (general fund ≈ $2,379,097; student activity ≈ $7,006.76): Motion approved; roll call recorded as unanimous (9–0). - Real-estate millage increase (packet: “from 1 23.79 to 1 28.74”; 4.4%): Approved 8–1 (Mr. Benitez opposed). Implementation directs new revenue to capital projects fund, per superintendent’s recommendation. - 2025–26 proposed general fund budget: Approved; roll call recorded as unanimous (9–0). The superintendent said the proposed operational deficit would be covered by fund balance. - Resolution implementing homestead and farmstead exclusion (Act 1 of 2009): Approved; roll call recorded as unanimous (9–0). The packet stated approved homestead/farmstead listings would produce property tax reductions for qualifying parcels. - 2025–26 transportation contracts: Approved; roll call recorded as unanimous (9–0). - Personnel items (items a–h): Approved; roll call recorded as unanimous (9–0).

All roll-call tallies and motion outcomes above reflect the board’s verbal roll calls as recorded in the June 5 meeting transcript. Several numeric figures in the meeting record were transcribed unclearly; where figures in the packet were read aloud but garbled in the audio (for example, some budget and transfer totals), the article notes the board’s stated intent but marks unclear or approximate amounts when the transcript did not produce a clear number.