Board adopts $900M‑plus preliminary budget, levy; staff and unions press food‑service and pay concerns

The Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education approved its 2026–27 preliminary budget and tax levies on June 22, voting 7–0 to adopt the documents presented in the DPI budget format and to certify preliminary levy amounts for short‑term borrowing purposes.

Board members also ratified collective bargaining agreements covering Educational Support Professionals, Substitute Teachers and the Teacher Unit for the July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027 contract year.

Before those votes, dozens of public speakers urged the board to address two staffing and compensation concerns: wage‑compression fixes for veteran teachers and food‑service staffing at high schools.

Aaron Stegner and his spouse, Shandra Kelsch Stegner, described how the district’s proposed step‑placement adjustments would still leave long‑serving teachers behind because prior out‑of‑district experience was not being credited consistently on hire. Shandra said the proposed fix would still leave her about “$10,000 behind” some peers and urged the board to fully acknowledge documented prior teaching experience when placing teachers on the schedule.

Multiple AFSCME representatives and food‑service workers pressed the board to reverse a proposed reallocation of kitchen staff away from high schools or to add staffing. Ben Ratliff (AFSCME) said the management plan had already prompted staff departures and that several employees faced longer commute times after being reassigned. He and other union speakers asked the board to adopt a budget amendment to add three full‑time high‑school food‑service workers (one each at East, West and La Follette). Administration and food‑service leadership responded that the department is operating with a large subsidy, that high‑school participation rates are lower than at younger grades, and that modular menu and line‑efficiency changes are being used to try to increase participation before adding permanent staffing costs.

When the proposed three‑FTE amendment was discussed it was described as costing roughly $225,000. Administration told the board it would review potential central‑office cuts over the summer but said it could not guarantee immediate neutral funding because of contractual and staffing constraints; the board did not finalize a separate sustained funding allocation on the floor.

Board members emphasized the broader fiscal context: the district continues to subsidize food service, and rising benefit and health‑care costs have placed pressure on the operating budget. Assistant Superintendent Soldner and Superintendent Gotcher both highlighted priorities in the preliminary budget including full cost‑of‑living increases, steps for staff, paid parental leave (noted in board discussion as a district investment), and investments tied to the 2024 referendum.

The board also approved several consent agenda contracts and program expenditures, including curriculum materials, a renewal with Operation Fresh Start, Character Strong resources, tuition for Horizon High, J‑1 visa recruiting services for bilingual teachers, and leadership coaching contracts.

The meeting ended with routine business — renaming‑committee appointments, TID project‑plan directions for a board representative, and a summer meeting schedule.