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Superintendent outlines goals, enrollment trends and asks community to back safety and technology levies
Summary
Hamilton School District superintendent presented an annual report highlighting steady student outcomes, a projected flattening of general-fund growth tied to A&B count uncertainty, and requested voter support for a safety levy (SROs, mental-health services, building security) and an operational technology levy to stabilize rising tech costs.
Superintendent (speaker 2) presented the Hamilton School District annual report, telling the board the district serves roughly 1,600 students and that the main priority remains "teaching and learning." He framed the district’s priorities under Policy 10‑15 — attracting and retaining staff, engaging the community, ensuring safety and stability — and said those priorities drive upcoming budget decisions.
The superintendent emphasized recent performance metrics, noting a fall head count of 1,596 and a graduation rate of 92.5% alongside an 88.9% attendance rate. "A great employee is made for our great school district," he said, highlighting that 115 teachers average eight years of experience and that 57% hold a master’s degree or higher.
Why it matters: the superintendent showed three-year general-fund projections that rise through fiscal 2027 but begin to flatten by FY29. He warned that Office of Public Instruction (OPI) adjustments to the A and B funding counts could reduce state revenues; "If they adjust the previous years, that will be hard," he said, noting the three-year averaging mechanism built into state funding calculations.
To stabilize operations and preserve classroom instruction, the superintendent asked the community to support two levies. The safety levy is intended to fund two school resource officers, mental-health supports, and site security improvements (ingress/egress upgrades and ongoing safety evaluations). The operational technology levy would cover rising costs for network infrastructure, Wi‑Fi, phones and essential instructional subscriptions. "This is not for a fancy new screen," he said. "The purpose behind the ask is to make sure that we can function and our Wi‑Fi works, our phones work, our subscriptions work."
The board discussed ballot-language options and favored an expanded draft for the safety levy to provide voters clearer information on allowable uses, including SROs, counselors and security infrastructure. Staff said they will distribute a letter to staff, meet with building leaders during a PD day and post materials online to explain levy proposals.
Next steps: The board adopted the preferred levy draft language and staff will finalize outreach and ballot materials. The superintendent flagged potential additional revenue from the STARS Act (House Bill 252) for future-ready payments, but said final amounts and coding depend on the Department of Labor and OPI guidance and are not yet certain.
Ending: Trustees praised the report’s focus on instruction and the district’s community-centered framing. The board moved on to routine agenda business after approving the consent agenda.
