The Lincoln Board of Education held a work session Tuesday to review the 2023-2024 preliminary proposed budget. Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs Dr. Liz Standish made the presentation. The initial proposal projects a 13-cent reduction in the LPS levy.
Two factors are impacting the tax levy this year – estimated valuation growth and the state of Nebraska’s investment in Special Education cost reimbursement from state sources instead of local sources.
The 2023-2024 preliminary proposed budget is approximately $514 million, representing a 4.8% increase from 2022-2023. Staff salaries and benefits make up almost 90% of the total budget, and negotiated agreements led to a 3.65% increase in the budget. Each month, LPS pays approximately 6,500 employees a total of $30 million each month – money that pumps back into the Lincoln through the purchase of goods, services and property taxes.
Other highlights of the 2023-2024 preliminary proposed budget include:
- Investing approximately $100,000 into providing feminine hygiene products free in bathrooms for middle and high school students.
- An increase of $680,000 for additional bus routes to serve student needs.
- Increasing the number of substitutes by adding $343,000 to the budget.
- Adding coaches for girls wrestling across the district.
- A net budget increase of approximately $691,128 to finish opening Northwest High School, Ada Robinson Elementary School, and for the first year of Standing Bear High School – which includes two early childhood classrooms.
- Reorganization of district-level administrators to fill vacant positions and shift focus on student behaviors will add approximately $184-thousand.
- Investing in Indoor Air Quality projects through past bond referendums has resulted in a forecasted zero percent increase in energy costs, saving the district approximately $148,100.
- Every year the district budget proposal includes unmet needs that always exceed the funding available. This year, the tough decision was made to not fund approximately $3.3-million in requests by transportation, technology, student services, health services, athletics and Human Resources.
In-person public forums
- June 28, 5 p.m. in the Northeast High School Cafeteria
- June 29, 5 p.m. in the East High School Cafeteria
- July 11, 5 p.m. in the Southwest High School Commons
- July 12, 5 p.m. in the North Star High School Commons
Virtual presentation
In addition, staff will host a virtual public budget presentation and answer any questions during a live webinar via Zoom on June 29, 12 p.m. Go to lps.org and click the link to view the virtual staff presentation and ask staff questions through the Q&A button.