Haslett board holds public hearing on 2024–25 budget; staff model flat enrollment and modest per‑pupil increase

At the June 10 Haslett Public Schools Board of Education meeting, Director of Finance Jensen opened the legally required public hearing on the final 2023–24 budget amendment and the district's proposed 2024–25 budget. Jensen said the district expects to finish the current year with a fund balance of about $2,500,000 (approximately 6.7 percent) after a roughly $350,000 adjustment to revenues and expenditures.

Jensen said revenue adjustments for the current year include roughly $189,000 in special‑education reimbursement from the state and one‑time state compensation grant money; notable expense adjustments include end‑of‑year bonus payments, higher contracted maintenance costs, substitute costs and some increased legal fees. He attributed a prior drop in fund balance in part to a recent change in Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) rules that required the district to expense curriculum purchases upfront rather than amortize them.

Looking to 2024–25, Jensen said the district is projecting flat enrollment (about 2,555 students) and that he used an average foundation allowance of $250 per pupil for planning. Under those assumptions he reported roughly $700,000 in additional revenue available in the draft budget and a similar increase in planned expenditures, including a placeholder staffing compensation figure of 2 percent plus step increases while negotiations remain open. Jensen also modeled a retirement‑rate reduction of about $300,000 (roughly a 2 percent savings) amid uncertainty about final state action; he noted differing proposals from the governor, the senate and the house.

Board members asked whether new curriculum purchases were expected; staff said the next board meeting will include presentations on targeted high‑school purchases (a trigonometry math program, a more math‑focused AP Physics text and an AP earth‑science book) and described phased implementations for affected grade bands.

Jensen emphasized the district's intent to increase fund balance by roughly $500,000 annually going forward and reminded the board that several bargaining units remain in negotiation, so compensation is not yet finalized. He also noted ongoing attention to projected property‑tax values and potential borrowing for 2024–25.

The hearing was informational; no final adoption vote on the 2024–25 budget is recorded in the transcript. The district will continue negotiations on employee contracts and adjust the budget if state actions (including any retirement‑rate changes) land differently than the assumptions Jensen used.