Blackhawk SD previews budget mix and timeline; board adds finance consent items and approves personnel report

District leaders presented a 2026-27 budget preview and a timeline that will place the proposed budget on display after the May 7 meeting and on the June 11 voting agenda, and the board approved several routine consent items.

"We're budgeting, for our students. We're budgeting, for Blackhawk," said a district presenter (Speaker 2), who described the district's funding mix as roughly 38% state, about 53% local (primarily property taxes) and a small federal share (spoken in the presentation as "about 5%" and elsewhere quoted as "11%" in the same briefing). The presenter said the district receives advocacy and tax-equity supplements and quoted a statewide advocacy-funds total of "$565,000,000." (Speaker 2)

The presentation highlighted two budget pressures: unfunded mandates (for example pensions and adjusted special education costs) and growing special-education expenses. The presenter said the state's budget proposal included a roughly $40,000,000 increase for special education funding and that Blackhawk's special-education population is about 17-18 percent.

On millage and Act 1: presenters reminded the board that the Act 1 index is about 4.7 this year and that voting to exceed the index could jeopardize adequacy funding; the district said it did not propose going over the index this cycle.

Public comment: A participant who self-identified as Margaret Brown asked when the district last published a full annual report and who was responsible for it (Speaker 1). Another resident raised questions about the district's deficit and whether school taxes will rise to cover it (public commenter; Speaker 7).

Board business and votes: A board member (Speaker 8) moved to add finance consent items (agenda items labeled 9.1 and related finance items) to the April 16 voting session agenda; the motion was seconded and the chair called for the vote. The board answered "Aye" and the chair declared the motion carried. Later, the board moved, seconded and voted to approve the human resources report for 04/09/2026; that motion also carried.

What happens next: presenters said there are about three weeks of work to refine the proposed budget before the May posting; the proposed budget will be placed on display after the May 7 meeting and staff aim for a final adoption vote by June 11 to satisfy the required display period.

Notes on sources and uncertainty: several numeric figures were presented verbally and without written handouts in the transcript. In one place the presenter said federal funding is "about 5%" and in another passage described it as "11%"; the article reports those figures as stated and flags the inconsistency for verification with district budget documents.