By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
Learn More:
- The Revenue Sources – Part 1 The Northfield Public Schools Budget Explained
- Historical Trends – Part 2: The Northfield Public Schools Budget Explained
The Northfield School Board meets tonight, holding its Truth in Taxation meeting and approving the district’s property tax levy. The School Board is set to approve a 0.98% decrease. For the average house valued at $ 350,000, it represents about a $109 reduction in taxes per year. The overall tax levy for the school district is $27.4 million, funding primarily for construction, supplementing the general fund, and Community Education.
School District tax levies are highly regulated, with all new taxes requiring voter approval in referendums, like the High School Reimagine project, or approval by the State Department of Education. District Director of Finance Val Mertesdorf stated that the change is driven primarily by lower student enrollment and a lower-than-expected debt cost.
Listen to the News:
“Debt service is decreasing again, that seems counterintuitive because we just passed the bond, but it’s actually that we’re required by law to levy that 105%. And 5% builds up as we pay our debt, and the state does a calculation to take our average 3-year fund balance and when it gets to a certain point, they’ll reduce that funds.” – Val Mertesdorf, Northfield Schools Director of Finance at the 9/22/2025 School Board Meeting
Unlike city or county governments, School Districts approve their budgets at separate Truth in Taxation meetings at the end of the academic year in June. Tonight’s meeting is primarily a report on property taxes, not the overall budget. The School District maintains six active funds, with the tax levy supporting all of the debt fund, and part of the General Fund and Community Education Fund.
The previously approved budget in June was for $69 million. State funding sources make up 68% of the district’s revenue, 26% from local property taxes, and 1% from the Federal Government. The general fund accounts for 69% of the budget, followed by 12% for internal services, 10% for debt service, and 4% for Community Education.
Overall, the vast majority of funds, 82% go to student and instruction support, 8% to buildings and facilities, 4% to capital outlays, and 3% to administration.
See the full Truth in Taxation presentation here (starting on page 5)
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