Gardner Edgerton board authorizes notice to county clerks of intent to exceed revenue neutral rate for FY27

The Gardner Edgerton Board of Education voted to notify the Johnson and Miami county clerks of the district's intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate for fiscal year 2027 and set a mill-rate ceiling equal to last year's authorized rate.

At the meeting, a staff presenter described the budget timeline and asked the board to set a ceiling for the mill rate "that is equal to what we authorized last year, which is 59.741." The presenter said the district is at step two of its FY27 budget process and will publish the proposed budget for public review before holding hearings.

The presenter also reported growth in the district's assessed valuations, stating they increased "from just under 800,000,000 to 925,000,000," and said that growth helps generate additional funds while staff work to reduce the effective mill rate.

Committee member (speaker 2) asked for clarification for those watching that "at this point, there is no expectation for the mill levy to be increased in any way," and the presenter confirmed there is no current plan to raise the mill levy. The presenter emphasized the notice is a statutory step that allows the district to continue work on the budget and hold the required hearings.

Chair moved to approve notification to the Johnson and Miami county clerks of the district's intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate, with the revenue neutral (R&R) budget hearing scheduled for Sept. 14, 2026; a board member seconded the motion and Chair announced it passed.

Next steps: the district will publish the proposed budget and hold a September hearing on the revenue neutral rate and the full budget before any final roll-call adoption.