Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Princeton board adopts resolution urging updates to school funding formula, opposes cash-balance limits in HB 96
Summary
The Princeton City Schools Board unanimously approved a resolution asking state lawmakers to update Fair School Funding inputs and to remove proposed cash-balance restrictions in House Bill 96 that the board said would reduce local control.
The Princeton City Schools Board of Education on Monday approved a resolution asking state lawmakers to keep the Fair School Funding formula current and to remove proposed restrictions on school cash balances from House Bill 96.
Board member Beth presented the resolution, saying the measure mirrors language other districts have adopted and that the district would send its version to legislators immediately. The resolution asks the state to update input values used in the funding formula — including salary and other cost inputs currently frozen at fiscal year 2022 figures — and to increase the inputs to reflect current costs.
"We just want to get on record" with the district's comments, Beth said during the discussion. She and other board members singled out language in HB 96 that would limit districts' use of cash balances, with one board member calling such limits "stripping local control." The board voted unanimously to adopt the resolution and said the district would distribute it to state officials as lawmakers consider the biennium budget this week.
The resolution does not bind the district to any expenditure changes; it is a formal statement of the board's policy position aimed at informing state budget decisions. The board did not take separate action tied to specific local revenues or spending changes during the meeting; it said it will continue to monitor legislative activity and report back as the state process unfolds.
The board's action followed brief commentary during the district's May financial report, which estimated a projected cash balance near $40,000,000 and described that figure as roughly 40% of the district's annual expenditures. Treasurer commentary at the meeting noted that while the new levy should begin generating funds in January 2026, that timing and any state changes to cash-balance policy could affect local collections and fiscal planning.
The board adopted the resolution by voice and roll-call vote and agreed to transmit it to state legislators for consideration.
