Sun Prairie Area School District presents balanced $221 million 2025-26 budget; lower mill rate despite enrollment decline

Matt Clark, director of business and finance for the Sun Prairie Area School District, presented the proposed 2025-26 budget to the board, saying the district's total budget across all funds is $221,000,000 and that the plan remains balanced after recent adjustments.

Clark said the district followed a multi-stage timeline: planning beginning in December 2024, a preliminary budget presented in July after the state budget passed, the proposed budget approved by the board in August, and the proposed budget presented at the district's annual meeting Oct. 6. He said final numbers needed to complete the budget arrived Oct. 15.

The Oct. 15 certification of general aid—Clark identified that cell on the revenue limit worksheet as a key figure—came in at about $61 million, a slight increase from the prior year but roughly $800,000 lower than the district had expected. Clark…