Matt Clark, director of business and finance for the Sun Prairie Area School District, presented the proposed 2025-26 budget to the board, saying the district's total budget across all funds is $221,000,000 and that the plan remains balanced after recent adjustments.

Clark said the district followed a multi-stage timeline: planning beginning in December 2024, a preliminary budget presented in July after the state budget passed, the proposed budget approved by the board in August, and the proposed budget presented at the district's annual meeting Oct. 6. He said final numbers needed to complete the budget arrived Oct. 15.

The Oct. 15 certification of general aid—Clark identified that cell on the revenue limit worksheet as a key figure—came in at about $61 million, a slight increase from the prior year but roughly $800,000 lower than the district had expected. Clark said the shortfall was driven in part by the state biennium budget providing no increase to the state aid funding pool and by some larger districts delaying submission of financials to DPI, which affected July and August estimates.

Clark described enrollment changes that affected revenue. Summer school full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment rose by about eight FTEs (the district receives roughly 40% funding for summer FTE, or about three FTEs of revenue), while the third-Friday pupil count used in the revenue limit calculation fell by a little more than 50 FTEs—worse than the district had budgeted. He noted the revenue limit uses a three-year rolling average FTE (the three-year average shown in the presentation was 8,372), so a single-year decline did not necessarily reduce the average because 2022 was the lowest of the three years.

Clark walked through the revenue-per-member calculation, saying the biennium budget increased the per-member amount slightly. He said the district multiplies that per-member figure by the three-year average FTE to determine the revenue limit, and that subtracting certified state aid yields the tax levy.

Two factors offsetting lower revenue per pupil were higher equalized property values and other levy items. Clark reported fall 2025 equalized property values at about $9.2 billion, an increase of roughly 7.88 percent from the prior year; that higher property value produced a mill rate of $10.21, which Clark said was lower than the rate presented at the annual meeting. At the same time, Clark said the combination of lower state aid, independent charter schools and private-school vouchers increased the district's tax levy by about $8,861,000.

Clark gave levy figures as shown on the revenue limit worksheet: a general levy figure (row 13) of $83,421,135 and a total school-based levy (row 16) of $93,906,896. He said the district also includes levies for debt service and community service and accounts for chargebacks.

Clark emphasized that after making the listed adjustments the proposed 2025-26 budget is balanced and that staff will provide quarterly budget updates during the fiscal year and present any updated grants or donations to the board. He also pointed the board to Attachment 1, the state-required budget adoption document that includes audited 2023-24 financials, unaudited 2024-25 financials (to be audited this winter) and the proposed 2025-26 budget sorted by fund and function.

No formal vote or board action is recorded in the transcript excerpt of Clark's presentation. Clark closed by inviting questions and offering his contact information for follow-up.