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District outlines $2.1M Fund 80 program budget and $1.9M levy proposal to expand after‑school programs, early childhood work and SRO support
Summary
Staff presented a Fund 80 community‑services overview and a proposed 2025–26 levy plan (approximately $1.9 million) to support early childhood initiatives, after‑school programming (including Boys & Girls Club partners), community schools, Lacrosse Promise ($70,000 contribution), restorative justice and four school resource officers. The board discussed moving middle‑school extracurricular costs to Fund 80.
District community‑services staff presented a broad overview of Fund 80 programming and a proposed budget for the next year. The administration framed Fund 80 as a tool to support out‑of‑school time programming, early childhood work, community‑school coordinators, restorative justice circles and the School Resource Officer (SRO) program. Kurt Te described four strategy buckets: enhancing early childhood development; empowering youth beyond the school day; strengthening community connections and engagement; and fostering school and community justice.
Key items presented included: - A proposed Fund 80 program budget of roughly $2.1 million and a proposed levy of about $1.9 million (administration noted some carryover and one‑time funds would affect the exact levy amount). - A recommendation to consider moving middle‑school co‑curricular and extracurricular costs into Fund 80 to relieve pressure on the district’s general fund; staff estimated the middle‑school shift at roughly $300,000–$350,000. - Continued partnerships with Boys & Girls Club (about 1,200 youth served in out‑of‑school‑time programs and 70–75% reporting some economic adversity), Lacrosse Promise (district contribution cited at $70,000), and community‑school investments at North Side and Hamilton elementary schools. - A proposal to maintain or expand the SRO program to four officers (two north, two south) to address response time and coverage concerns; staff noted historically low school arrest rates and emphasized diversion and restorative options.
Board members asked for more granular cost reporting (for example, the per‑site operating cost of Boys & Girls Club programs, breakdown of the community‑school coordinator salary/benefits totaling approximately $318,000 for three positions, and projections for levy impacts). Administration said they would provide additional budget detail and noted the levy timeline requires tentative decisions before final figures are set after Oct. 15.
