Watertown School Board Approves $115.79 Million 2026-27 Budget and Property Tax Levy Rates
- Steve Jurrens
- Jul 13
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Watertown School Board on Monday unanimously approved the district’s full 2026–27 budget and levy resolution, finalizing a $115.79 million spending plan and setting the property tax levy rates that will be forwarded to the Codington County Auditor.
Board adopts FY27 budget following public hearing
The vote came under Item 8.4 — Approve the 2026–27 Budget and Levy Resolution, mirroring the figures presented earlier during the district’s annual budget hearing.
Business Manager Heidi Clausen noted that the action formally approves the FY27 budget and establishes the levy amounts per $1,000 of taxable valuation for agricultural, owner‑occupied, and commercial property, along with districtwide levies for capital outlay and special education.
“Action on this item approves the annual FY27 budget and establishes the dollars‑per‑thousand for the levy amounts that will be presented to the county auditor,” Clausen said. “The resolution does mirror what we discussed during the budget hearing.”
Motion passes unanimously
Board Member Kari Lohr moved to approve the resolution, with Jean Moulton seconding. With no further questions or comments, the board voted unanimously.
Budget totals: $115,791,300
According to the adopted resolution (Agenda Packet, p. 17), the district’s FY27 budget includes:
· General Fund: $30,629,505
· Capital Outlay: $8,653,560
· Special Education: $10,042,650
· Nutrition Services: $1,974,185
· Arena Concessions: $172,490
· Driver’s Education: $64,800
· Pre‑School Services: $128,250
· Self‑Funded Insurance: $11,470,000
· Student Financial Aid: $11,416,500
· Lake Area Technical College: $35,506,795
· LATC Bookstore Services: $4,218,405
· LATC Nutrition Services: $822,160
· LATC Day Care: $692,000
Levy rates set for FY27
The board also approved the following levy requests (Agenda Packet, p. 18):
· General Fund — Agricultural: $1.051 per $1,000
· General Fund — Owner‑Occupied: $0.669 per $1,000
· General Fund — Commercial: $4.867 per $1,000
· Capital Outlay: $9,500,000 spread across all property
· Special Education: $1.449 per $1,000
· Debt Service: $0.00
The resolution notes that the county may adjust levy amounts to comply with state‑established limits once final assessed valuations are confirmed.
Budget reflects enrollment, program needs, and LATC operations
The FY27 plan includes funding for K‑12 operations, special education services, districtwide insurance, enterprise programs, and Lake Area Technical College — which accounts for 31% of the total budget.
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