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District proposes roughly $205 million budget and a separate $6 million Proposition 2 for elementary capital needs
Summary
Superintendent Dr. O'Meara presented a proposed $205 million general budget (about a 4.25% increase year-to-year) and said the administration will seek a 3.45% levy recommendation; Proposition 2 would authorize using $6 million from a voter-approved reserve for elementary building needs.
Superintendent Dr. O'Meara told the board the administration is proposing a general budget of approximately $205 million for 2026–27, representing about a 4.25% increase from the prior year, and outlined the district’s approach to state aid and UPK flow-through funding.
"This year, we are proposing a $205,000,000" Dr. O'Meara said, describing a revenue picture that includes a foundation-aid increase and UPK funding that flows through to serve 260 additional prekindergarten students. He said foundation aid covers only about 15% of district revenue and highlighted a roughly 4.52% increase in foundation aid this year.
The administration told the board it is recommending a tax-levy proposal significantly below allowable limits: "we are not recommending going to the tax levy limit," the superintendent said, and the board was told the recommended levy increase being presented to the board is 3.45 percent. The presentation noted that the district intends to draw a limited amount (~$1.7 million) from a tax-reduction reserve created years earlier from the sale of an unused building.
Dr. O'Meara also reviewed Proposition 2: the administration proposes asking voters to authorize the use of $6 million from an already-approved building-condition savings reserve to address immediate elementary-school facility needs (cafeterias, kitchen/service upgrades, sidewalks and parking repairs and other high-priority maintenance identified in the building-condition survey).
Board members asked for clarity about the composition of state aid and the extent to which UPK affects the district’s revenue and expense lines. The administration said UPK is largely a flow-through (state funds tied to the 260 UPK students) and that the budget contains a planned $2.5 million transfer to capital for planned work.
Why this matters: The budget proposal and Proposition 2 will be presented to voters on the May 19 budget vote. Tax-levy choices, reserve draws and the proposed use of capital reserves directly affect local tax bills and the district’s ability to address deferred-maintenance needs.
Next steps: The board will hold the budget hearing and the final adoption vote at upcoming meetings and will include Proposition 2 on the May ballot.
