USD 253 Emporia will see a notable mill levy increase based on the proposed 2025-26 budget presented to the USD 253 Board of Education on Wednesday evening.
As it stands, the budget will carry a price tag of just over $15 million in levied funds with a mill levy rate of 56.720 mills, up nearly 1.3 mills from the 2024-25 budget. Now, the district has not been a stranger to mill increases in recent years; however, the increases in 2023-24 and 2024-25 were significantly less than the current proposed rise, amounting to less than a mill each year.
With this in mind, KVOE News asked newly appointed Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations Joshua Swartz to identify the primary causes of the mill increase. He stated there were two notable factors: the supplemental general and bond and interest funds.
In terms of the supplemental general fund increase, Swartz says that it will benefit the district in the long run.
Following their review of the proposed budget, board members approved its publication and set a public hearing date for the budget and revenue-neutral rate for Wednesday, September 10, at 5:50 pm, just ahead of the board’s regular meeting.
In other business Wednesday, board members approved an agreement with the Emporia Recreation Commission for providing after-school programming for the 2025-26 school year. Superintendent Dr. David McGehee told KVOE News that while the district should have enough dollars to help fund programming for the next three years thanks to the severance agreement with the Boys and Girls Club of South Central Kansas which provided $350,000 towards that cause, the district chose to err on the side of caution and enter into a one year agreement with the ERC for now.
McGehee says approval of the agreement was a cause for celebration, noting a lot of work had to be done in a very short time after the Boys and Girls Club announced its desire to terminate its agreement with the district just two months ago. He praised the efforts of former Superintendent Dr. Allison Anderson Harder and other prior administrations for their work in solidifying the partnership.
While the agreement has certainly given the district a sigh of relief, McGehee noted there is one concern still on his mind as they prepare for the upcoming school year next week.
Other details from Wednesday’s board meeting can be found on the district’s website, USD253.org. The USD 253 Board of Education will reconvene for its next regular meeting on Wednesday, August 27, at 6 pm inside Mary Herbert Education Center.
