The USD 253 Board of Education has set the date for potentially approving the 2022-23 budget.
During the board’s meeting Wednesday, members voted unanimously to set Sept. 14 as the date of a public hearing on both the budget and the district’s plans to exceed the revenue-neutral rate. According to USD 253 Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations Rob Scheib the budget, as it stands currently, comes to just over $42.8 million with a mill levy of 55 mills.
Scheib says the recent discovery of an error in the county’s 2022 sales tax notice is not expected to have any adverse effect on the budget as it currently stands.
The budget total is a decrease of $2.1 million and one mill from fiscal year 2022. Scheib says the decrease is due in part to bond and interest aid falling to 22 percent this year.
The public hearing will begin at 6:35 pm Sept. 14.
In other business, board members unanimously approved the sale of the Maynard Early Childhood Education Center at 19 Constitution Street to Simmons Pet Food for $250,000. Simmons is planning to use the building as a 24/7 daycare.
The building will be operated by KinderCare, a for-profit early childhood education center operator, based in Portland, Oregon. KinderCare operates 1,500 childcare centers nationwide.
In a statement to the district, Simmons stated that childcare has been one of the major stressors expressed by employees in recent years. Simmons currently employs 1,600 team members with 90 percent of those employees living within the city limits.
Scheib says the current playground equipment and all furnishings will be included in the sale of the property.
The USD 253 Board of Education will next convene on Wednesday, Aug.
