Kearney Public Schools Administration Office, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — The budget and tax request for Kearney Public Schools was approved by the Board of Education during their meeting on Monday, Sept. 8.
Meagan Kershner, KPS Director of Finance, presented the proposed budget during a hearing prior to the regular meeting.
Kershner noted several key points including that valuations in Buffalo County have increased by 10 percent, now up to $5,564,057,578 for the 2025-26 year. It was also noted that state aid to the district only increased by $89,784.
Budget authority for the district also increased by $2,920,105 and allowable growth for the year is set at 5.15 percent, which amounts to $2,515,614.99.
Kershner stated that around 86 percent of the KPS budget goes toward compensation for staff. Total compensation increased by $3,772,838.40.
It was also noted that the district is currently finishing construction projects, such as The Paw addition to Kearney High School. This totals $11,168,785.
The budget that the school board was asked to adopt included the KPS General Fund Budget in the amount of $83,872,392; the Special Building Fund Budget in the amount of $19,769,231; the Bond Fund Budget in the amount of $18,119,848; the Employee Benefit Fund Budget in the amount of $48,081; the Activity Fund Budget in the amount of $4,500,000; the School Nutrition Fund Budget in the amount of $5,068,263; the Student Fee Fund Budget in the amount of $570,381; the Cooperative Fund Budget in the amount of $327,285; and the Qualified Capital Purpose Undertaking Fund Budget in the amount of $6,946,615, for the 2025-2026 school year.
In addition, the property tax levy would decrease by six cents to $1.07.
The property tax request for the General Fund be set at $45,353,535; the Bond Fund be set at $7,070,707; the Special Building Fund be set at $6,008,972 and the Qualified Capital Purpose Undertaking Fund be set at $1,263,965 with the total property tax request be set at $59,697,179, for the 2025-2026 school year.
It was noted that the budget presented to the board would not require attendance at the Joint Public Hearing.
State law requires a postcard to go to all property owners within political subdivisions that are asking for more in tax revenues, by a certain amount, than they asked for the previous year.
The Nebraska Legislature determined that only counties, cities, community colleges and school districts making a property tax request exceeding their allowable growth percentage need to be included on the postcard and participate in the joint public hearing.
At the joint public hearing, a representative from each political subdivision will give a brief presentation on that political subdivision’s intent to increase its property tax request by more than the allowable growth percentage and the effect of such request on the political subdivision’s budget
Buffalo County’s property tax distribution shows that 66.6 percent goes to Kearney Public School, 19 percent to Buffalo County and 8.69 percent to the City of Kearney.
The Kearney school board approved both the budgets and property tax requests.
