District presents FY27 budget; proposes levy of no more than 14.16439 and schedules final hearing

John, the district finance presenter, told the board the certified budget hearing is a required step in the process and that the district had submitted the maximum levy information to the county auditor and published notice in local media.

He said the district projects the school portion of the levy at 14.16439 for the coming fiscal year and emphasized that, because of state rollback and valuation changes, many homeowners would see a net decline in school tax dollars. "If your property didn't experience any property tax increase this year, based on the school's levy, your residential rate is going to go down 9.28%," John said as he walked through sample tax calculations.

John reviewed enrollment and open‑enrollment trends, noting that open enrollment outflow creates a roughly $3.9 million fiscal impact in the most recent projection window. He told the board the district's revenue mix is roughly 35% local property tax and 65% state aid and that the district's reserves and unspent authorized spending authority support the proposed budget.

After questions, the board voted to publish the proposed levy and to schedule a final public hearing on April 20; formal approval of the budget will be considered at that later meeting.

Next steps: Staff will publish required notices, refine budget documents for public distribution and return on the scheduled hearing date for a final vote.