After months of work, the budget for the Sioux City School District has been set for next year, with a lower property tax rate than this current year.
The Sioux City School Board adopted the budget financial plan in a Monday meeting. The general fund portion of the budget covers $212 million dollars, while another $20 million is being taken in from sales taxes.
The school property tax levy this year is $12.38 per $1,000 of taxable property value, while it will drop to $12.22 for the 2027 fiscal year.
School districts in Iowa received 2 percent growth from the Legislature for the year ahead, which school officials have said is not sufficient to keep up with costs.
That new budget runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. Salaries and instruction costs are the lion’s share of the spending.
The Sioux City School District educates about 14,600 students.
In related news, the Sioux City School Board held additional special closed meetings on Monday and Tuesday, towards the goal of pinpointing a few finalist candidates for the superintendent post.
A timeline shows the board plans to announce finalists by Thursday, April 16. Community forums for those finalists are tentatively planned for April 28-30.
A job offer to a superintendent candidate could be extended by early May, for a position to begin in July.
One year ago, the board hired Juan Cordova of Missouri as superintendent, but after being placed on two leave of absences, he resigned, and longtime district administrator Jim Vanderloo has been serving as interim superintendent.
