Sewanhaka board reviews 2026–27 budget package and outlines $15M capital-reserve projects ahead of May 19 vote

The Sewanhaka Central High School District on April 21 presented a proposed 2026–27 general fund budget and several related finance measures the board approved on the consent agenda.

Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Kevin O’Brien described the proposal as three parts: “the administrative, the program, and the capital,” and said the district projects a total budget of about $600.278 million. He told the board the administrative component would rise about $1.4 million (a 4.6% increase), the program portion would increase roughly $11 million (a 5.6% increase) driven by special-education and transportation costs, and the capital portion would increase by about $1.176 million (approximately 3.5%). Overall, O’Brien reported a budget-to-budget increase of about 5.26%.

The presentation outlined anticipated revenue sources: state aid “over $82 million,” local revenue of about $195 million, and a tax levy of $173.97 million. O’Brien said that levy represents a 1.68% increase, below the commonly referenced 2% tax-cap threshold. “This capital reserve on the second proposition will be used for the installation of air conditioning in our five high school auditoriums,” he told the board when summarizing Proposition 2.

Why it matters: the proposition would allow the district to expend the 2025 capital reserve—approximately $15 million, with the possibility of roughly $1 million rolled over from an earlier reserve—at no additional cost to taxpayers, according to the presentation. Planned projects named in the presentation include auditorium air conditioning in five high schools, renovations to guidance suites, replacement of cafeteria furniture across all five schools, masonry and plumbing repairs, HVAC work and exterior door/window replacements, and additional enhancements to career and technical education spaces.

Board members asked for and received clarifications about program expansions and specific projects. The administration pointed to investments in curricular supports (including a new academic-literacy course and expanded dual-enrollment partnerships), instructional technology, and ongoing commitments to special-education placements that are driving program costs. On cafeteria furniture, O’Brien said the district decided to replace seating districtwide after consulting students and principals rather than replacing pieces piecemeal.

On next steps, O’Brien told the board the district’s budget vote is set for May 19. At the meeting the board approved finance-and-operations agenda items on a voice vote; the transcript records motions passed by board members but does not include a roll-call tally for the items presented.

What the board approved at the meeting: the minutes from the March 24 meeting and multiple consent-agenda items including curriculum, finance and operations, personnel, civil-service recommendations, and legal items. The transcript records the motions and that the motions “carried” after voice votes but does not provide individual vote tallies.

The board also noted continued capital work tied to building-condition surveys—restroom renovations, water-heater and boiler-room replacements, concrete and masonry repairs, science classroom upgrades, fencing, door repairs, and parking-lot work—and described a recent CTE building and cosmetology program completed in prior years.

The budget presentation and the Proposition 2 details were made available to the public in the meeting slide materials, and the administration invited the community to review the full presentation on the district website. The board scheduled no additional public hearing on these items at this meeting; the budget goes before voters on May 19.