District officials on Thursday recommended the Board of Education ask taxpayers for a full 2.9% levy increase and warned against offering an abatement this year, citing a combination of state funding cuts and rising costs.

Mister Altmaier, the district chief financial officer, told the committee the move was driven by an "exceptionally proud" record of prior abatements and by new fiscal pressures, including a cut tied to the evidence‑based funding formula and an unusually large health‑insurance claim month. He said the district’s fund balance has fallen from 38.2% in 2019 to about 29.7% today and that "we do need to keep our fund balance above 25%" to avoid cash‑flow stress.

The recommendation set off a long exchange among board members about timing and public transparency. Several trustees urged presenting a 2% abatement option (and other intermediate options) at the levy hearing so voters can see the tradeoffs; one trustee said providing options "would make it easier for the public to understand what is happening." Administration and other trustees countered that abatement decisions should wait until January, when budget numbers will be firmer. The committee agreed to move the full levy memo and a set of abatement options forward to the board for separate votes at the next meeting.

The discussion also included concerns from a public commenter, Julia Steltner, who urged trustees not to prioritize tax rebates over teacher pay. "Teachers are more important than pizza," she said, arguing that past staff turnover — including departures in the dual‑language program — was tied to compensation differences with nearby districts.

Administration provided specific figures to illuminate tradeoffs: the packet showed examples of abatement options in $125,000 increments and an estimate that a 2% abatement would reduce operating tax revenue by roughly $730,000 (about a half‑percent of district revenue) and would lower the fund balance by roughly two percentage points. CFO Altmaier noted the district faces an estimated $1.4 million overage on health‑insurance claims if recent trends continue and that state tiering changes reduced the district’s expected revenue by roughly $1 million.

Next steps: The committee directed administration to carry forward the levy memo and the set of abatement options to the full board. The levy hearing must occur in the next few weeks; the board will separately consider any abatement motion. No abatement was approved tonight.