Elk River — The Elk River School Board voted on Dec. 8 to recommend certifying the district’s 2025 payable 2026 tax levy after a Truth in Taxation presentation from Executive Director of Business Services John Reagan.

Reagan told the board that the district’s 2024–25 actual budget was about $276.6 million and projected revenue for 2025–26 roughly $276.95 million; he said about 72% of revenue comes from the state and roughly 22% from local property taxes. "If your house did not go up in value, you would actually pay less taxes," Reagan said while walking through a homeowner example used to show how valuation changes affect individual bills.

The presentation broke district levies into four buckets: general fund, community education, debt service and other post‑employment benefits (OPEB). Reagan said the proposed levy would increase 3.74% overall — a change he tied to a combination of referendum adjustments and bond issuances earlier in 2025 that raised debt‑service needs. He estimated a modest sample homeowner impact on the school portion of the bill of about $22 in Sherburne County for the example scenario.

Board members pressed for clarity on the fiscal outlook. Director Nordisk noted a slide that appeared to show the general operating fund drawing down and asked whether the district was facing a shortfall; staff clarified revenue projections and emphasized that some levy categories are tied to state aid. As staff explained, lowering the levy in categories that trigger state matching can result in a loss of corresponding state aid, producing a larger net budget impact.

After discussion, the board voted by voice to recommend certifying the levy as presented; the motion carried. The board later also approved the district’s annual financial report for the year ending June 30, 2025.

The superintendent and finance staff said they will provide additional budget‑adjustment details to the board as internal work to identify $4 million–$5.5 million in savings continues. The board also reminded the public of avenues to request follow‑up: staff offered to walk residents through property‑tax calculations and levy publications on request.