Cozad superintendent warns of significant State Aid drop as district presents recommended budget

Dr. Dan Endorf, superintendent of COZAD COMMUNITY SCHOOLS District No. 11, told the Board of Education at a Sept. 15 budget hearing that the district faces a significant decrease in State Aid for the 2025–26 school year and presented a recommended budget and a revenue summary chart. Endorf also outlined steps the district has taken to reduce expenditures while aiming to avoid adverse impacts in the classroom.

The recommended budget and the revenue summary chart were published in the Cozad Local, Endorf said; the hearing served to inform the board and the public about the district’s fiscal outlook. Endorf described State Aid as the primary revenue pressure but did not provide a dollar figure for the projected decrease in the transcripted remarks.

Board members followed the prescribed public-comment procedures and opened a public comment period, but no members of the public spoke. The hearing included procedural reminders about the Nebraska Open Meetings Act and where meeting notices were posted, including the COZAD COMMUNITY SCHOOLS website, the district office, the Cozad Post Office and the Wilson Public Library.

A formal vote taken near the close of the meeting authorized adjournment. The motion to adjourn at 7:26 p.m. was made by Board member Joel Carlson and seconded by Board member Stacey Mundell; the recorded vote was five yeas, zero nays. The board did not record a formal vote on the budget at this meeting.

The transcript indicates the district has identified expenditure reductions already implemented; specific line-item reductions, projected budget shortfalls in dollars, and any planned program changes were not specified in the hearing record. The board did not take further action on the budget at this session, and no public comment was added to the record.