Kettering treasurer, board member explain revenue mix, COPS and TANS and the district budget

Treasurer Justin Blevens and board member Jennifer Kaine walked listeners through the Kettering City School District's funding mix, the operating budget and financing tools the district has used to complete facilities projects.

Jennifer Kaine said local funding accounted for "approximately 71%" of total revenue in fiscal 2025, with state funding making up "approximately 24%." She said general fund revenues for fiscal 2025 were "just under $134 million" and that the district's general fund operating budget for fiscal 2025 was "just over $122 million." Kaine noted that about 84% of the operating budget went to salaries and benefits, 11% to purchased services and 5% to supplies and materials.

Kaine and Blevens explained two common financing tools: certificates of participation (COPS), which Kaine described as a lease-purchase style arrangement used to fund specific projects (examples given included a chiller at Fairmont, classrooms at Orchard Park and South Elementaries, a new transportation building and stadium renovations), and tax anticipation notes (TANS), which Kaine described as short-term borrowing against future tax collections to provide upfront cash for immediate needs such as energy-efficiency upgrades.

The treasurer emphasized the district's required financial forecast filing with the state, calling it a fundamental planning tool that details revenue projections and expenditure assumptions for multi-year planning. Kaine encouraged residents to consult the publicly available forecast and other financial reports on the district website for details.

The podcast presented these figures and tools as an explanation of how the district finances operations and capital work; it did not announce new levies, formal board motions or policy actions. The treasurer and the board member urged transparency and directed listeners to the district's published reports for full documentation.