Treasurer warns of $21M–$43M gap; says 7‑mill levy would avert deep cuts

Treasurer Mike Guston told the board that the district’s revenue has largely flattened while inflationary and structural costs continue to rise, producing an immediate projected gap of roughly $21 million for fiscal year 2028. He said that including modest facility repairs and a small strategic‑plan allocation could widen that figure toward $43.3 million.

Guston walked the board through slides showing that the district used one‑time revenues and employee furloughs this year to balance the current budget; removing those adjustments creates a recurring shortfall. He said facility repair needs total about $160 million over five years and that even funding 10% of that next year would greatly increase the required reductions. "We have to ask ourselves how much longer can we keep doing the things we've been doing of cutting 20 to $40,000,000 a year?" Guston said.

On levy options, Guston presented modeling for a 7‑mill property tax that he said would produce roughly $66.3 million annually and about half of that as the first partial collection in January (approximately $33 million). He recommended conservative spending in the first two years of any new levy to allow time for the district to build evidence of progress and avoid repeating a cycle of annual cuts.

Board members pressed for detail on how new revenue would be allocated; several said the district must couple any levy with a clear strategic plan and third‑party validation. One board member summarized the fiscal choice plainly: "If we don't pass a levy in November, we are going to have cuts in Fiscal 28 and we'll start working on those cuts in four months." Guston cautioned that continued cuts could ultimately lead to a fiscal‑emergency scenario if unaddressed.