Board amends 2025–26 general fund budget after finance committee report

The New Buffalo Area Schools Board of Education voted Feb. 9 to amend the 2025–26 General Fund budget after a finance committee report detailing the district’s revenue and expenditures.

Director of Finance Pano Arvanitis told the board that the district levied 18 mills on applicable non-principal-residence and non-qualified properties for 2025, “generating an estimated $17.6 million, or approximately 86% of district revenues.” He reported General Fund revenues of about $18.9 million in local revenue, $2.2 million in state revenue and $96,493 in federal revenue, totaling roughly $21.4 million, and noted expenditures of about $21.9 million with payroll and benefits comprising roughly 69% of the budget. Arvanitis also said the district maintains a fund balance of 25.73%, “equivalent to about 3.1 months of operating expenditures.”

On a motion by Board Member Vanessa Thun, seconded by Jennifer Summers, the board approved the recommended amendment to the 2025–26 budget. The transcript records the vote as "All ayes; motion carried." The roll call earlier in the meeting shows two members absent (John Haskins and Greg Vosberg) and one member (Lisa Werner) participating remotely without voting privileges; the board did not record individual vote tallies in the minutes.

The presentation and amendment were framed as adjustments to align budget projections with the finance committee’s review; the board did not adopt any new tax levies during the meeting. The amendment directs administration to implement the revised budget figures and incorporate the committee’s projections into monthly financial reporting.