The Christian County School Board discussed the tentative budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, approved the creation of multiple job positions and extended Superintendent Chris Bentzel’s term at their Thursday meeting.
The proposed tentative budget and salary schedule for the upcoming fiscal year were approved, but before the board members voted, they discussed the possibility of staff raises. The salary schedule includes a $1,000 stipend for employees but no raise, whereas past budgets have included 1% raises. Board Chair Tom Bell says district employees are working hard and deserve a raise.
District Finance Director Jessica Darnell then presented the tentative budget to give board members an insight into what next year will look like before making any decisions regarding raises. Darnell says they are set to have an increase in SEEK Funding at just over $35 million, but the amount could change after the average daily attendance and property value assessments are taken into account.
The budget includes a proposed contingency fund of around $6 million, but if all employees are given a 1% raise, then the fund will decrease to $5.2 million. Bentzel says he would like to give everyone raises, but they are uncertain about funding from the federal government, which led to the creation of a more conservative budget.
Darnell also says they have not received any indication about which federal grants they will receive, which would have typically occurred already. Ultimately, the board approved the budget without a 1% salary increase. Now the tentative budget will be sent to the Kentucky Department of Education for revisions, and in September, the district’s working budget will be presented.
The board also approved the updated 2025 district facilities plan, which is an outline that spotlights construction and renovation priorities in the school district for the next four years.
In the updated plan, Assistant Superintendent Kevin Crider says renovation work at Martin Luther King Jr. Early Learning Center has become a higher priority, and construction on the consolidated Christian County High School was removed from the plan since work is well underway. The changes have resulted in the plan dropping from $131 million to around $40 million.
Then the board approved job descriptions for new positions. They approved descriptions for a Director of Elementary Instruction, Director of Instructional Leadership, Director of Academies, Accounting Manager, Director of Fine Arts and a PASS (Positive Approach to Student Success) Supervisor.
Director of Student Services Kin Stevenson shared that the PASS program focuses on working with students who have behavioral issues to help them develop more adaptive and socially appropriate behaviors.
To conclude the meeting, Bentzel received positive feedback from the board for his 2024-25 evaluation. Bell says he received positive ratings for the seven leadership standards. Following the evaluation, the board voted to extend Bentzel’s contract one year to 2029.