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USD 261 treasurer previews budget, warns enrollment could dip below 5,100
Summary
The district finance presenter told the board the 2026–27 enrollment projection is about 5,100, outlined revenue drivers including a roughly $48 million general fund and a $16 million local option budget, and noted the district passed an ~$80 million bond without increasing the mill levy.
The district's finance presenter delivered a budget overview to the USD 261 board, saying the 2026–27 enrollment projection is currently about 5,100 but that number could fall when final counts are recorded.
"The 2627 school year, I have estimated at 5,100," the presenter said during the briefing and cautioned that legislative actions and other factors could reduce that estimate.
The presenter said the district's primary revenue drivers include a general fund (about $48,000,000 last fiscal year) and a local option budget (about $16,000,000). He noted the district's bond strategy has allowed capital work without raising local tax rates: "We passed an approximate $80,000,000 bond, and we did not increase our mill levy," the presenter said, adding the bond-and-interest mill levy remains at 13.714.
The presentation explained how state aid changes affect the budget: base state aid per pupil rose by roughly $150 from the prior year and federal grants and titles (Title I, Title II-A, special education pass-throughs) are supplemental but not primary revenue drivers. Expenditure pressures remain concentrated in personnel, which the presenter said consumes roughly 80–85% of district budgets.
The superintendent and finance presenter told the board the next procedural steps are a revenue-neutral-rate hearing and a budget hearing set for Sept. 14, with notices to be published before those hearings and the final budget submitted to KSDE and the county after board action.
A motion to approve the treasurer's report was made by Tasha and seconded by Courtney; the board approved the report 7–0.
Why it matters: enrollment projections and the distribution of bond and reserve dollars shape classroom staffing, capital maintenance and contingency planning. Final student counts and state formula changes could materially affect the district's revenue picture when counts are certified.
