Business official says tax refund claims exceed the district's reserve; board redoes reserve votes

What happened

On September 16, 2026 the board rescinded its June 24 tax certiorari reserve resolutions and passed new ones to set up a 2025-26 reserve, return old-year money to the general fund, and move money from the retirement-system reserves. In the recording the assistant superintendent for business said the district cannot cover refund claims from tax years 2021 to 2024 from the reserve and is in a negative position on its projections. She was heard giving an estimate of about negative $7.6 million.

Why it matters to families

Tax certiorari refunds are paid when property owners win lower assessments. If more are approved than budgeted, the district must use fund balance or borrow, which can squeeze programs. The district's own slides show flat state aid and a very tight 2026-27 budget.

The evidence

The Sept 16, 2026 recording (auto-generated captions) includes resolutions 5.4 to 5.9 and the discussion. The $7.6 million figure is only in the captions and the speaker's referent is not fully clear, so treat it as a statement, not an audited number.

The source