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Paola USD 368 board approves revenue-neutral notice after detailed budget presentation
Summary
Board members heard a detailed preliminary budget from Jimmy, were told the district faces about $421,000 in reduced state aid, and approved a notice of intent not to exceed the revenue-neutral tax rate and the budget publication for 2024–25.
The Paola USD 368 Board of Education on Monday heard a detailed preliminary budget presentation and approved a notice saying the district does not plan to exceed the state-defined revenue-neutral tax rate for 2024–25.
Jimmy (identified in the agenda and discussion as Jimmy Hay) led the presentation, telling the board that changes in state aid and assessed valuations mean the district faces a substantial reduction in state support. He summarized the impact as “over a $421,000 decrease in one year” because of shifts in assessed value per pupil and state aid calculations. Jimmy also said local-option state aid fell from about 28.74% to 23.89% in the district’s calculations, and that capital-outlay and bond-and-interest state aid were effectively reduced to zero in the coming year.
Jimmy walked the board through statutory timelines and publication requirements, saying the county clerk had to be notified by July 20 about whether the district intended to exceed revenue-neutral rates. He said the district’s preliminary numbers left it about 0.82 mills and roughly $243,000–$250,000 below the revenue-neutral threshold and characterized the budget as effectively “revenue negative” for the year rather than exceeding the threshold.
Board members asked for clarifications about how bond payoffs and levy shifts could affect future years. Jimmy described plans to pay off outstanding bonds this fiscal year (estimated payoff amounts presented during the meeting) and explained that bond levies would decline as debt is retired, creating some capital flexibility for maintenance and other projects.
The board voted to approve the formal notice of revenue-neutral intent (the code 99 filing) and separately approved the budget publication documents (code 1 and code 99) for public notice and submission to the county clerk. Jimmy said the district would take the preliminary documents for final review to the Kansas State Department of Education and then submit signed versions to the county clerk as required.
Votes at a glance: the board approved the revenue-neutral notice and the budget publication during the meeting; the motions were moved, seconded and carried by majority voice/hand-raise votes.
