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Governmental‑relations briefing: levy tax credit, federal funding updates and special‑education reimbursement concerns
Summary
Chris Thiele of the Office of Governmental Relations told the board MPS's levy will show as about $427 million on property bills but net paid amount is roughly $350 million after a $77 million state school‑levy tax credit; he also flagged a DPI estimate that reduces a promised 42% special‑education reimbursement to about 35% and briefed members on a circulated state proposal to cut teacher/principal positions that the district called a nonstarter.
Chris Thiele, representing the Office of Governmental Relations in the Office of Board Governance, briefed the board on key state and federal fiscal items.
Thiele explained how the school‑levy tax credit appears on property tax bills: the district's levied amount (about $427,000,000) will be shown but a state tax credit reduces the net amount paid by taxpayers; he said the net tax that supports the district this year will be closer to $350,000,000 after subtracting a $77,000,000 tax‑credit figure. Thiele urged transparency because taxpayers can be misled by the larger levied amount displayed on bills.
At the federal level he summarized recent budget developments—the SNAP benefit risk during a government shutdown was resolved for at least a year—and noted continuing resolution risks through Jan. 30 for other federal funding streams.
On special education funding, Thiele said the state budget had promised a 42% reimbursement rate for public‑school special‑education costs but that DPI's initial estimate is 35%, which could change district aid by millions; using prior year numbers, he placed the difference at roughly $10–$14 million as a planning gauge and called for advocacy to change a statutory word from 'certain' to 'sufficient' so funding obligations are fulfilled.
Thiele also briefed the board about a circulated proposal from Representative Scott Allen that would terminate 5% of MPS teachers and 5% of principals annually for five years; he said the district considers such a proposal a nonstarter and has engaged with the legislator to offer alternative ideas.
