Des Moines schools present FY27 budget with $17.9 million gap; proposes tax rate rise to 16.05

Matt Smith, interim superintendent for the Des Moines Independent Comm School District, and Shashank Arora, the district's chief financial officer, laid out the district's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget during a virtual forum and said the plan faces a roughly $17.9 million shortfall.

Arora said the district is proposing a property-tax rate increase from 14.61 to 16.05 for FY27, with the largest driver the debt service tied to the voter-approved bond. "The increase if you see is 1.44," he said, adding that the new debt service was approved by voters and is responsible for a large portion of the change.

Why it matters: the district's general fund accounts for the majority of operating dollars and pays for staff, building operations and classroom programs. Arora told attendees that roughly 77% of the district's revenue is funneled into the general fund and that the district's all-funds revenues total about $490 million, with 83% of general-fund spending targeted to direct student and building needs.

Arora described Iowa's student-driven…