Moniteau DME

CHERRY TWP — Moniteau School District’s proposed final budget of $26,498,870 passed without an increase in taxes for the 2025-2026 school year.

The school board voted 7-1 to approve the budget at its Monday, June 23, work session meeting, just in time before the legally mandated June 30 deadline. Board vice president Kathy McBride was absent for the meeting.

Austin Blauser, Moniteau district’s business manager, said the most major changes are the more expensive health care and costs of cyber charter tuition — the latter of which recently drew some scrutiny from the board for its lack of regulation.

“Unfortunately, the tuition rates don’t really have a cap for regulation education or special education,” Blauser said. “We are kind of at the mercy of those charter schools. Some reform would be welcomed by different districts within the state.”

Otherwise, Blauser said there have not been any significant changes from the previous year’s budget.

Despite only few changes, passing the budget was a challenge for the board, which builds its budget off of the state budget, that is yet to be approved this year. Unlike the school district, Blauser said that the state does not have a firm deadline to pass its budget.

“The last couple of years, it has went passed that (deadline),” Blauser said.

There was some contention within Moniteau’s board of directors as well.

Opposing the budget was board member Christopher Stamm, who said the budget plan would be more reasonable if the millage was increased by 2 to 4. A mill is equal to a $1 tax increase for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.

“We are looking at a rock and a hard place just with health care,” Stamm said. “You watch every activity we have in this school district — these kids and this community is getting fundraised to death.”

Blauser, who initially recommended the increase of the tax rate to 2 mills, said the increase in millage would have resulted in $130,000 of additional revenue to the cut the deficit.

“Either way, it’s not a balanced budget,” Stamm said in regards to the tax rate staying the same. Stamm raised a motion for a 2-mill increase, which failed with an insufficient 2-6 vote for the addendum. Voting yes were members Stamm and Brittney Larimore.

Larimore said she voted in favor of the increase because she foresees that not taking the little steps at the moment would hit the community harder during next year’s budget planning.

“I just hope next year, when we are looking at the budget, we do not go crazy with it,” Larimore said. “I think even 1 mill even is better than jumping from 0 to 3 next year.”

Board member Jennifer Rottman said that increase in mills would have direct, negative impact on the community.

“When I see the look on these people, I think — $32 or $60 or whatever it is — to them, it is a lot,” Rottman said. “We’re trying so hard to balance the budget, that makes it difficult.”

The current Moniteau school district deficit stands at $2,458,780, which Blauser said will come out of fund balance or bank account for another term, from the school savings.

“We build everything for the worst case scenario and hope for the best,” Blauser said. “That way, at the end of the year, our number should be much greater than that.”