Milton board approves balanced preliminary 2026–27 budget amid enrollment and revenue uncertainties

The School District of Milton board on Monday approved its preliminary 2026–27 budget after a presentation from finance committee members and district business staff that emphasized limited state aid movement and shifting local revenue drivers.

Ross, the district business official, told the board that the only certain state funding increase in the coming year is a $325-per-pupil change to the revenue limit and that open-enrollment multipliers — recently increased — and special-education payment changes will shape the district’s fiscal outlook. He said the district projects a relatively flat third-Friday membership and will use a three-year average for budget calculations.

The preliminary general fund budget is projected at about $52.993 million and is balanced on current assumptions. Ross described this year as the final year of a $2.5 million non-recurring referendum exemption and said a $5 million recurring referendum authority will come online for 2026–27, yielding roughly an incremental $2.5 million in authority over prior non-recurring funding.

Board members pressed for clarity on key assumptions. The presentation noted that open enrollment multipliers will add approximately $928 per pupil for regular education and that special-education voucher payments are yielding about 38.3% reimbursement this year, below earlier expectations. Ross said those multiplier changes are contributing materially to year-over-year swings in authority and that the district expects to under-levy a portion of the new recurring authority — an estimated $2.0–$2.2 million.

The board moved to approve the preliminary budget. Tracy made the motion and Rick seconded; board members voiced assent and the motion carried. The district will update numbers after the July 1 aid estimate from the Department of Public Instruction and again at aid certification in October.

The budget presentation also reviewed capital planning. Administrators described Fund 46, a self-funded capital projects (sinking) fund that plans to transfer about $700,000 annually from operating funds. Planned 2026–27 capital expenditures shown in the presentation totaled about $3.481 million and included a high-school roofing project, healthcare sciences renovations at the high school, and work on a central maintenance facility.

Next steps: the board approved the preliminary budget on its current assumptions and will reconvene fiscal estimates once state aid figures are released and as other certifying dates approach.