The Hamilton Southeastern Schools Board of Trustees voted unanimously Oct. 28 to approve the 2027 budget and held a public hearing on a proposed teacher contract that the district’s education association has ratified.
The contract, which includes raises for educators, will come back to the board Nov. 4 for a vote.
The district’s advertised $325.9 million spending plan for 2027 is about $15 million lower than this year’s budget. Superintendent of Finance Tim Brown told the board that the advertised budget is about $2 million more than the predicted budget — a common practice that allows a cushion in case expenses are higher than expected.
The 2027 budget includes a projected $31.3 million referendum fund spending plan with funding contingent on the outcome of the replacement operating referendum. Also contingent on the referendum’s approval is a portion of the tentative teacher contract, which 97 percent of Hamilton Southeastern Education Association members voted to ratify, according to HSEA representatives who spoke during public comment.
Teacher Craig Frawley told the board that the negotiations process this year was the smoothest in his 12 years at HSE Schools.
“Each team was ad...