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Rainier School District adopts $21.45 million budget, sets property tax rate
Summary
The Rainier School District board approved a $21,454,794 budget for 2025–26 and set a property tax rate (read aloud in the motion as $5.436 per $1,000 assessed value). Trustees and staff cautioned that PERS side‑account changes and potential federal/state funding shifts could force future adjustments.
The Rainier School District board approved its 2025–26 budget and set a property tax rate during a regular meeting that concluded with voice votes.
Board member (speaker 7) moved to approve the district’s budget, reading line items shown in the motion: "General Fund $14,729,902; Special Reserve Funds $4,500,471; Debt Service Fund $1,605,536; Capital Project Fund $498,095; agency funds $120,790" for a total of "$21,454,794." Board member (speaker 6) seconded the motion, and the board carried it by voice vote.
The move to adopt the budget comes as staff and trustees flagged several fiscal uncertainties. Superintendent Chad (speaker 2) and other speakers said the district currently benefits from a PERS side account that reduces employer rates, but that relief is scheduled to sunset in the 2026–27 fiscal year; staff said that when the side account ends the district could see a multi‑percentage‑point increase in employer PERS rates. Staff also cautioned that the district faces uncertainty in federal program funding and a state revenue forecast that staff described as likely "neutral to negative."
Superintendent Chad (speaker 2) also described the district’s expected savings from a proposed four‑day school week, telling trustees the largest savings would be transportation: "the initial estimate was $20,000 a month which would have been $300,000 a year," and that combined savings were estimated in the transcript at roughly "$280,000 to $305,000" annually depending on implementation and family scheduling.
The board also set a tax rate as part of the actions on the agenda; the motion read a rate aloud that the clerk recorded in the meeting transcript as approximately "$5.436 per $1,000 of assessed value" to support the general fund. Staff reminded trustees the adopted budget was a "not to exceed" document that can be adjusted if state or federal forecasts change.
The board confirmed a tentative follow‑up budget meeting for June 2 at 5 p.m. if needed and then adjourned. The budget motion and tax‑rate motion were approved by voice vote; individual roll‑call tallies were not recorded in the transcript provided.
