Download 23-24 Gering Public School District Proposed Budget
Gering Public Schools 23-24 Budget Information
During the last legislative session several bills impacting school funding passed which has significantly shifted this year's budget considerations and process. Below are two bills of significant impact are referenced:
LB583
- Provides $1500 in Foundation Aid to Districts (will decrease to $900 in 25-26)
- Increases Special Education Reimbursement from 40% to 80%
LB 243
- Establishes Certified Property Tax Authority for General and Building Funds
- School Districts are Capped at 3% Annual Growth Plus Percentage Increases in Student Enrollment and Poverty Rates (we increased in both areas so our growth this year is 4.3032%)
- With a Local School Board Supermajority Vote (5 members) they have the Authority to Approve Additional Base Growth Up to 6% for Gering Public Schools
Due to the legislative impact and the valuation growth in Gering, our preliminary budget projections have put us above a 2% growth in revenue, which means Gering Public School District is required to participate in a joint public hearing (LB644). This hearing will take place in lieu of the budget hearing at the Board of Education Meeting (Scotts Bluff County postcards expected in mailboxes soon). This Joint Hearing is September 20th at 6:05pm in the WNCC Judy Chaloupka Theater.
Because we are limited to 5 minutes at the Joint Public Hearing and with the vast amount of changes, we do plan to do a more comprehensive budget overview at the regular Board of Education Meeting on Monday, September 18th at 6pm in the Freshman Academy.
Linked is a booklet which outlines the 23-24 budget considerations. School finance is incredibly complex, so in an effort to simplify, here are the cliff notes for the 23-24 budget session:
- Approval of the additional base growth resolution of our board (70% supermajority required) will allow us to maintain our current 1.05 levy
- This is our hope as we continue to look to the future and improve the cash position of the district for stability and in alignment with state guidance.
- We want to ensure the ability to retain and recruit talented educators which requires us to be competitive.
- Our expenses per pupil rate is just below the state average - we want to continue balancing that efficiency while still growing student opportunities.