Carmel Clay Schools is proposing a $237 million budget for 2025, which includes a 2 percent salary increase for teachers and a $2 million transfer to build up the district’s rainy-day fund.
Roger McMichael, CCS associate superintendent, presented the budget at the Sept. 9 school board meeting. He said he expects the district’s tax rate to drop, although the district is advertising it to the state higher than its current rate to “pad the budget” since it is permitted to drop the rate if needed but not raise it once advertised.
“We intend to advertise high, realizing it’s possible we could have made a mistake or something, so it doesn’t hurt anything. It just protects us so that we would receive the money that we’re otherwise entitled to,” he said, noting that this is a common practice for CCS and other districts.
The 2024 tax rate is 83.41 cents per $100 of assessed property value. McMichael said he expects the rate to drop closer to 81 cents, but the state isn’t expected to set and certify the rate until the end of the year.
The school board will hold a public hearing on the budget at its Oct. 15 meeting. The board is set to vote on the budget at its Oct. 28 meeting. Both meetings begin at 6 p.m. and are held at the Educational Services Center, 5201 E. Main St. in Carmel.
Learn more about the proposed 2025 CCS budget on the state’s Gateway website at budgetnotices.in.gov/Default.aspx.
