St. Genevieve R-II board adopts conservative FY2027 budget, raises teacher base pay to $47,000

The St. Genevieve County R‑II Board of Education voted to adopt its fiscal year 2027 budget after a presentation that emphasized conservative revenue assumptions and targeted staffing increases.

Administration told the board it set the state adequacy target used in the budget at $6,750 per student and noted the state’s full statutory target would be $7,145 per student; under those assumptions the district will not receive about $792,000 of calculated revenue it would get at full funding. Superintendent and finance staff said the district used cautious estimates for state and local revenue and maintained strong reserves to guard against uncertainty.

The budget approved by the board includes a $1,500 increase to the teacher base salary, bringing the base to $47,000 (a 3.3% raise), step and lane adjustments, and a board‑paid health insurance increase from $612 to $664 per member per month. The package includes additional special‑education positions split between buildings and new technology support roles intended to bolster cyber security and instructional systems.

Administrators said the decrease in total expenditures from the prior year largely reflects the winding down of Prop SG capital projects rather than cuts to instructional programming; leftover project funds will be used for finishing items such as athletic lighting and repurposing an old wrestling room into a weight and multipurpose room.

The board approved the budget and related compensation adjustments by voice vote. Officials said they will finalize fiscal‑year‑end numbers after June 30 and may bring a revision if actual revenues differ from assumptions. The district encouraged continued attention to state revenue developments that could change funding levels.

The board also noted that personnel actions taken in closed session will be listed in the draft meeting minutes within 72 hours.