The Shawano School District won’t see any significant changes in expenses in 2025-26, according to the preliminary budget adopted by the school board June 18.
Bryan Kadlec, director of finance, business and operations, said the preliminary budget contains the operating budget for the general operations and special education.
“This really provides the guardrails around expenses between now and the time when the final budget is approved at the budget hearing and annual meeting at the end of October,” he said.
The preliminary budget reflects less than a 1% increase in expenses for general operations.
The 2024-25 general fund expenses, according to the budget passed by voters, were $34.7 million. Dollar figures for 2025-26 were not provided.
“Our expenses have stayed pretty level. It’s under 1% growth overall, much lower than the rate of inflation,” Kadlec said.
By law, the district must pass a preliminary budget by June 30, as the new budget year begins July 1.
This preliminary budget did not include revenue projections, Kadlec said.
“The state budget is still getting debated and is yet to be approved,” he said. “There are a number of different variables with that, as well as there are a number of different variables that we have with student count.”
When the budget hearing and annual meeting are held in October, those figures will be known. Student population is determined by enrollment numbers on the third Friday in September, and final state aid figures are released in mid-October.
“The reality is based on what happens at the state level, it could be really good for the district, and it could also have some implications,” Kadlec said.
For now, Kadlec said, it’s important to step away from the noise at the state level and concentrate on projected expenses.
“We’ve got an expense budget that is well below the rate of inflation, so you should feel confident in terms of approving that,” he told the board.
Kadlec said he and the finance committee will continue to monitor state budget discussions and close out the 2024-25 school budget, with that information used to determine a final budget.
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