School district mill rate to drop

CLINTONVILLE – The Clintonville Board of Education approved a total tax levy of $10,566,508 for the 2025-26 school year at its Oct. 27 meeting, which is a decrease of $84,337 in total taxes when compared to the 2024-25 school year.
Nick Curran, director of Business Services with CESA 8, which the district uses for its finances, told the board and residents in attendance at an Oct. 27 budget hearing for the district, that the proposed budget has a mill rate of $9.78.
That represents a tax liability of $9.78 per $1,000 of property value. A property valued at $100,000 would have a school tax liability of $978, while a $350,000 valued property would have a school tax liability of $3,423.
For the last several years, the district has had a flat mill rate of $10.74.
Curran said the proposed budget included a recommendation to decrease the school district’s mill rate.

“This is because property values continue to rise in the Clintonville School District, so to kind of offset that we’re going to lower the mill rate,” Curran said. “…That doesn’t always necessarily mean, though, unfortunately, that you’re going to get a property tax decrease.”
Curran said if a property owner’s property has seen a significant increase in value, their taxes could increase.
Total taxes for the school district would decrease by around $84,000, Curran said.
“It’s the same concept, just because the district’s recommendation here tonight may lower the taxes, doesn’t mean you’ll have a decrease in your tax bill,” Curran said. “It all depends on your individual property taxes and your property assessments.”
Regarding the district’s Fund 10, Curran said the district’s spending is projected to increase almost $2.5 million. In addition, the amount of state aid the district is projected to receive would increase by a little more than $1 million.
The proposed budget does include a budget deficit, Curran said.
“That’s going to help make up that $2.4 million increase in spending,” Curran said. “It’s the same concept, by increasing our spending, we’re going to increase our state aid, the money we get back from the state, hopefully help manage your tax levy at a more manageable level.”
CESA 8’s Jessica Holtz, director of Finance, for the Clintonville School District, said that revenue for Fund 10, the district’s general checking account, is projected to increase by $685,000 when compared to what was budgeted last year. Most of that increase is due to funds received from investments the district made.
The increased revenue is also due to an increase of 10% in state aid and an increase in property values in the district of almost 9%.
Holtz said the district’s principal and interest debt payments in the proposed budget would be $1.96 million. With the recent debt defeasances the district has done, the debt is projected to be paid off in 2040 instead of 2042.
Curran said the recommendation is to continue to do debt defeasances in an effort for the district to maximize the state aid it receives.