District looking at fewer students

This year’s Cedar Grove-Belgium School District budget was easier to balance than the one in 2025-26.

Supt. Elizabeth Freeman and Business Manager Tera Rogers reminded the School Board last month that the district received $500,000 less in state funding last year, and it had to find $150,000 for raises for a total of a $650,000 impact.

“It came because we had some fortunate retirements. We had a few people who found other positions unexpectedly and we were able to increase class sizes a little bit. We went from three high school social studies teachers to two, which we were totally able to do,” Freeman said.

Some class sizes nearly doubled.

“At first staff who were very comfortable with class sizes of 13 really thought that 23 was going to be a lot. It undoubtedly is an increase, but when you see reports from our neighbors that have 28 in a class, 30 in a class, I think we realize 23 is doable,” Freeman said.

There is one unknown that has Rogers concerned in the budget.

“One thing I’m very, very nervous about is our transportation costs this year. I don’t know what that’s going to look like. It’s not going to be pretty,” she said.

A surcharge kicks in when gas prices eclipse $2.50 per gallon.

Projections show district enrollment is “declining to stable,” Rogers said. Most class sizes are in the 50 to 70 range, but first grade has 46 students, second and third 44 each and fourth has 45.

That will mean the high school will have around 180 students in a few years. It has around 260 now.

Board President Jeremy Spriggs credited past boards for building up the fund balance — essentially a savings account for unexpected costs — and he wants to be proactive in keeping it funded.

“We need to have that available to maintain the high standards that we held,” he said.

The district’s annual meeting and budget hearing is at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the high school study hall.

Rogers said the levy is slated to increase while the mill rate — what taxpayers pay per $1,000 of equalized value of their homes — is expected to decrease. The September student count will affect those numbers, she said.