District finance staff presented a five-year budget projection Nov. 25 that highlights steady enrollment growth, constrained levy capacity and mounting structural pressure on the general fund.

"If you put all these numbers together, both the levy side and the state of Minnesota side, we get about $10,000 per student, on the revenue side each year," a district finance presenter said during the board briefing.

Key points from the presentation: the district's per-pupil revenue is roughly $10,000; about 25.5% of revenue comes from local levies while roughly 69% comes from the state; federal funding is a small share (about 1.6%). The finance presentation said the district has room for about $400 per pupil in an additional operating levy, which would bring in about $5 million and push the district to the state levy cap.

Presenters cautioned that special-education and EL enrollment increases will add recurring costs and erode structural balance over time. The finance briefing noted transportation contracts and some LTFM projects have driven higher purchase-service and supply expenses this year.

Board members discussed levy timing and the trade-offs of using operating levy capacity: once at the cap, the district's ability to ask for additional operating levy revenue is limited, so officials must weigh whether to preserve capacity for future operational needs or use it now for anticipated costs.

The presentation also reviewed the district's fund-balance trajectory and a planning target near 10% to preserve resiliency against unfunded state or federal mandates.