Board members and district staff reviewed cost details for extracurriculars and athletic-related spending as part of a broader discussion of roughly $6 million in proposed budget reductions and the districts upcoming levy communication to voters.

Treasurer/staff reported that last years salary-and-benefit payments tied to extracurricular supplementals totaled $836,144 and are projected at about $861,000 for the current year. Transportation costs associated with extracurricular activities were cited at roughly $47,628 for drivers and about $60,000 for vehicle expenses; combining those line items produced an athletics/extracurricular total the presenter described as about $944,138. Staff said the district collected slightly more than $100,000 in participation and activity fees last year and is at about $80,000 so far this year, figures that help offset the net cost of extracurriculars.

Board members clarified that the commonly used shorthand "athletics" in public questions actually refers to all extracurriculars (band, orchestra, drama, clubs and athletics) and asked staff to present net and breakout numbers so residents can see what specific categories cost. The presenter said that, in the districts accounting, many extracurricular positions are coded as supplementals (function code 4500) and that the district has worked to identify actual salary payments for the reduction targets the board has discussed.

On district reserves, a board member asked what would happen to roughly $500,000 cited as cash in fund 300 if the levy failed. Staff explained that the board could reallocate district-controlled balances by transferring funds into the general fund with a board vote. Staff also said that fund balances in activity accounts (for example, sport- or club-specific booster funds) are managed separately and that some programs (football, basketball) often subsidize other sports because fundraising and receipts vary by sport.

Members discussed public messaging for the levy, including simplifying comparison charts and emphasizing that the current ask is smaller than prior requests and that some previously expiring levies will roll off. Several board members said they have heard two common public reactions: that the tax feels like a "big ask" and that residents want clearer numbers on the cost of specific programs. The board debated whether to separate extracurriculars into a menu of cuts (which staff warned would be politically and legally fraught, including Title IX equality implications) and agreed that presenting comprehensive but simplified cost information would be the preferred approach.

Board members also discussed income-tax alternatives. Staff and board members said an earned-income or municipal income tax would take longer to generate revenue (collections lag the vote by many months) and could shift tax burdens away from businesses and utilities onto residential taxpayers; board members said past reviews of income-tax options found them difficult to pass in this community. Several participants emphasized that the immediate goal was to stabilize district finances and that longer-term tax-structure changes could be considered later.

No formal vote on program cuts or levy placement occurred at the meeting; staff are preparing more detailed breakout tables and a simplified voter information sheet for distribution.