NEW ULM – The New Ulm District 88 School Board is looking at a 3.22% increase to the property tax levy, or a $280,975 increase from the 2024 levy.

District business manager Mathew Moline presented the information during the board’s Truth in Taxation meeting Thursday.

Moline said that overall, the school district’s revenue is down slightly by 0.71% dropping from $41.2 million to $40.9 million.

Most of the revenue, $25.88 million, comes from the state. Around $5.4 million or 16.26% of the revenue comes from local property taxes.

Expenditures are also decreasing, going down 3.65% in the next year. Staff salary and benefits take up the majority of expenses. Around $26.65 million of the $39.6 million expenses comes from wages and benefits.

“We are a business of people,” Moline said. “We need teachers, we need administrators, we need paras, we need custodians; that’s pretty much what we do.”

Looking back at the levy history, Moline said there were not any big changes. The school district’s levy changed by a few percentage points each year. In 2015 there was a 24.55% increase in the levy due to the new high school. Since then, changes have not exceeded 4% in either direction.

“We’re doing a pretty good job of holding together and not seeing any big swings,” Moline said.

The board’s final certification of the 2025 property tax levy, is set for the Thursday, Dec. 19 board meeting in the District boardroom, 414 S. Payne Street.