2023-2024 budget includes competitive salaries, funds for critical capital projects
The Mehlville Board of Education approved the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget (for the 23-24 school year) at their June 29, 2023 meeting. The budget provides competitive salaries for all employees and a plan to pay for critical and deferred maintenance.
"Mehlville School District is committed to being good stewards of our financial resources, and this budget reflects that," said Dr. Chris Gaines, superintendent of Mehlville school District.
The budget estimates a $22.2 million increase in local revenue, due to a combination of Prop E, an increase in assessed valuation and new construction. The district’s operating budget expense is $12.3 million more than fiscal year 2023.
Mehlville School District operations are impacted by historic rates of inflation. Notably, this is seen in annual cost-of-living pay increases and health insurance rate increases. Additionally, of this revenue, $6.3 million is being used to bring staff salaries and benefits to competitive levels to recruit and retain high-quality employees, as promised through Prop E. A little under $1 million is being used to fund mental health supports and improve school safety.
The proposed budget calls for putting $10.1 million into the district’s capital fund reserves in this fiscal year. Those funds would pay for critical maintenance projects. For example, the district is nearing the end of the lifecycle on several HVAC systems, and estimates indicate these HVAC replacements would cost more than $30 million.
"By allocating these funds for capital projects, the district would delay having to ask taxpayers for a tax increase to maintain its facilities," Dr. Gaines said.
Additionally, Dr. Gaines said, in fiscal year 2025, the Board of Education could consider using some of this local revenue to fund the 34 teaching interventionists without asking voters to increase the tax rate. These teachers are currently funded through federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. These COVID relief funds end at the conclusion of the 2023-2024 school year.
On June 20, the district's finance committee reviewed the proposed budget and the latest local tax rate estimates. The committee agreed that it’s financially prudent for the district to use these funds for deferred maintenance.
Tax rates are not set until the Mehlville Board of Education votes on them during their annual tax rate hearing, scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
The district budget is approved based on revenue estimates and forecasts. The budget is adjusted several times during the fiscal year based on the approval of the tax rate, final assessed valuation figures and state funding revenue.
The preliminary proposed Fiscal Year 2024 Budget was initially estimated with 5 percent assessed value growth. In late March when St. Louis County issued preliminary assessed values showing a historic 17.8 percent increase, the budget was updated to reflect this increase. The county will issue assessed value updates in July, and final assessed values in September. Property owners may file appeals on their calculated property value with the Assessor’s Office through July 10, 2023. More information is available on the
County Assessor’s website.
The Fiscal Year 2024 Budget can be viewed here.