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Schuyler board adopts 2025–26 budget, sets 99¢ levy and approves CKLA pilot, bus surplus and evaluation changes
Summary
The Schuyler Community Schools Board adopted a $19,625,164 property-tax request for 2025–26 and set a levy of $0.99 per $100 assessed value. Trustees also approved a K–5 CKLA pilot purchase, recognized the employee bargaining group, authorized two buses for surplus and updated employee-evaluation procedures.
The Schuyler Community Schools Board of Education voted to adopt the district's 2025–26 budget and property-tax request totaling $19,625,164, producing a levy of $0.99 per $100 of assessed value, the board heard. The vote to adopt the budget and to certify the levy passed on roll call.
The board also approved a package of operational motions during the same meeting. Trustees voted to purchase CKLA (Amplify) pilot materials for kindergarten through fifth grade, recognized the Schuyler Community Schools Education Association as the district’s exclusive bargaining group for the coming negotiation period, and authorized the surplusing of two older buses (a 2009 Thomas Saf-T-Liner and a 2012 International). In addition, the board approved changes to the certified-employee evaluation handbook that move tenured staff to a three-year summative cycle while instituting frequent unannounced walkthroughs for ongoing coaching and documentation.
Administrators told the board the district’s total assessed valuation rose about 11 percent, which altered state equalization aid and factored into the decision to set the levy at $0.99 per $100 of value. The presented budget plan forecasts roughly 80 percent of expenditures for staff and about 64 percent of revenue from property taxes; the administration emphasized a goal to continue building cash reserves and to prioritize spending that directly supports student learning and safety.
On the CKLA pilot, district staff described the adoption-year process that includes classroom visits to peer districts, professional development before a pilot launch, and midyear/spring assessment comparisons (MAP and literacy measures) between pilot classrooms and control classrooms using the district’s prior curriculum. Administrators said the third edition of the publisher’s curriculum had removed passages flagged as potentially controversial in earlier editions.
Board approval was recorded by roll call for each motion; the transcript shows yes votes from the board members in attendance for the budget, CKLA pilot, union recognition, bus surplus and evaluation-handbook motions. No motion failed in the recorded actions.
The board directed district staff to certify the levy to the county clerk by the statutory deadline and to proceed with procurement and implementation steps for approved items, with follow-up reports and data collection scheduled as the pilot and policy changes are implemented.
