A public hearing on the proposed 2023 budget led the October 3^rd meetings of the Zionsville Community Schools Board of Trustees. Director of Business Services Regina May presented the state required documents and spoke about anticipated revenues and expenditures. She reported on the status of the district’s 20-year plan to sustain a stable school tax rate at approximately $1.30. Due to unusually high growth in assessed valuation recently certified by the county, the ZCS budget presented by May strives to mitigate the impact on taxpayers through a reduction in the school tax rate to approximately $1.21, pending the Department of Local Government Finance’s final determination on all school, municipal, and library budgets.

 Board members queried Mrs. May on topics related to property tax caps and assessed valuation. Documents related to the proposed balanced ZCS budget for 2023 appear on the Finance tab of the ZCS website. Board consideration of adoption will occur at its regular monthly meeting on Monday, October 17, 2022, at the Educational Services Center on Mulberry Street at 6 p.m.

During regular business of the board, Zionsville Middle School Principal Mitzi Macaluso shared an update for the Board of Trustees about academic and extra-curricular opportunities and successes at the nearly 1335 student school.

Superintendent Scott Robison was recognized for receiving the Lorin A. Burt Outstanding Educator Award at yesterday’s state meeting of the Indiana School Boards Association. Robison was specifically recognized for the extra personal touches, such as the night before kindergarten video and pandemic graduation parade, that he extends to make students feel recognized and valued. In his acceptance remarks Robison thanked his first elementary school teacher and the governing board members he has worked with during his 16+ years of leadership service in ZCS.

The board unanimously approved a recommendation to provide a supplemental payment of up to $4,000 to teachers, counselors and other educational professionals in ZCS. Board members expressed sincere appreciation for the district's outstanding teachers and lauded the collaborative approach to bargaining used since 2017. Because ZCS prepares budgets and negotiates conservatively with protection against future uncertainty in mind, the supplemental payments were made possible through growth in the education fund balance.

“Given the number of teachers leaving the profession and the large number of vacancies around the area and around the country, ZCS must remain competitive for retaining and attracting teacher talent in every way possible,” remarked Robison after the meeting. “We always strive to hire the best teachers available when enrollment growth presents the opportunity to grow our great faculty. ZCS teachers are appreciated for their mission-oriented commitment to the community’s youth.”

The ZCS Board of Trustees next meets at 6 p.m. on Monday, October 17, 2022, at the Educational Services Center Board Room.