Lexington 01 board amends 2026–27 general fund, approves 23.5-mill operating increase

The Lexington School District One board of trustees voted June 25 to amend the 2026–27 general fund operating budget, approving a total budget of $419,028,157 that increases the operating millage by 23.5 mills while reducing the debt service millage by 11.8 mills and drawing $9,391,212 from fund balance.

Doctor Price, who presented the revised figures to the board, told trustees the district initially projected a $3,500,000 shortfall for the year but identified four primary drivers — contract services, substitutes, repairs and maintenance, and utilities — and trimmed the gap through immediate savings, reclassifications and updated revenue projections. "So we feel like we've made the appropriate adjustments for the year ahead," Price said after walking the board through the numbers.

Price outlined specific adjustments: an immediate, one-time savings of $295,000 from cancelled encumbrances; reclassifying about $476,000 in expenses from the general fund to past bond funds; and revised projections that reduced the prior $3.5 million shortage to roughly $2.1 million. He also highlighted rising contract costs in facilities maintenance: a new HVAC contract increased by roughly $500,000 and elevator service rose from about $25,000 to $66,000 annually, contributing to a higher repairs-and-maintenance request of about $1.95 million.

Board members said the staff's follow-up work since the June 16 meeting helped bridge disagreements. "I just wanna... say thank you for digging in the last week," board member Callan said, thanking staff for weekend work that identified savings. Board member Blaschnick, who had voted against the budget previously, explained her change in position by emphasizing payroll needs: "It's gonna take us $11,000,000 and change this year to take care of every staff member within the district," she said, arguing the millage compromise lessens the tax impact for some taxpayers while preserving staff compensation.

Secretary Chris Rice and other trustees praised the collaborative process. After discussion, speaker 3 moved to amend the 2026–27 general fund operating budget to the totals Price presented; the motion was seconded and the board voice-voted to approve the amendment.

The board's action pairs the operating millage increase with a debt-service rollback that, according to Price, shifts roughly $10 million from debt service/capital-maintenance funding into operating capacity under option "2c." The approved plan also removes a previously planned move of the school counseling coordinator position into the general fund after staff confirmed Title funds will cover that salary for two years.

The board signaled the next procedural steps are implementation of the revised budget and the usual administrative tasks to reflect the millage changes and fund transfers before the 2026–27 school year begins.

The meeting also certified a newly appointed trustee and ended by adjourning after completing the day's business.