In the span of five years, spending at Lincoln Public Schools will increase 27 percent if the proposed $420.8 million budget is approved while enrollment will increase by half that.

The 13.5 percent enrollment increase, an additional 5,000 students walking the halls of LPS schools over five years, is an ongoing challenge for district officials. In the 2015-16 school year, only nine of the state's school districts enrolled more than 5,000 students.

But the disparity in LPS between increased spending and enrollment growth and the fact that the district proposes leaving the tax rate unchanged in the face of the biggest increase in property valuations in a decade gave some pause.

LPS board member Matt Schulte called it out of whack, which motivated a guy named Brad to stand outside the district offices on at least a couple of mornings last week holding a sign that said LPS is greedy.

Leaving the district's general fund tax rate at the state-imposed lid of $1.05 per $100 of valuation means LPS will being in an additional $18.2 million in property tax revenue. While the districts overall tax rate would remain essentially unchanged, many homeowners will see their property tax bills rise.

It means the owner of an average $163,457 home, if faced with a 9 percent increase in property valuation, will pay an additional $185 to LPS next year, hiking the annual tax bill going to K-12 schools to $2,235.

While the increase in state aid to LPS this year is small $271,000 more the district has enjoyed a 52 percent increase in state aid since 2012-13.

While much of the growth in state support is because of growing enrollment and increasing percentages of students living in poverty, the state-aid formula isnt fully funded nor does it take into account all the classroom needs of students living in poverty and English language learners, said Liz Standish, associate superintendent for business affairs.

LPS officials say the $90.5 million spending increase over five years assuming the proposed budget is approved includes the supplies, personnel and utility costs for new schools, major initiatives in technology and the more-complex needs of students.

Looking only at spending and enrollment increases ignores updates and changes the community expressed support for, as well as the cost of educating more students with serious behavioral problems, mental health issues, those living in poverty and those who don't speak English, Standish said.

You would have to assume the district did nothing different from year to year,said Standish, who joined LPS in 2013-14. And in the last five years, the district has taken on some pretty major community initiatives.

Those include the Career Academy, a one-to-one computer initiative for students, moving to a digital curriculum and investments in early childhood education, she said.

Since 2012-13, LPS has or will open five new buildings the Career Academy, Wysong Elementary, Moore Middle School and two buildings with programs for students with serious behavioral problems.

While bond issue revenue pays for the buildings, the district budgeted an additional $4.1 million in one-time start-up costs of those buildings and $4.7 million in operational costs. The latter, including increased utility costs for additions to existing schools, becomes an ongoing cost.

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The bulk of the budget is always salaries, and this year included paying more than 5,700 employees. In 2016-17, the district budgeted $351.5 million for salaries. Next years budget adds $10.4 million to pay for the negotiated 3.19 percent compensation package increase for teachers. That doesnt include adding staff.

Schulte declined to say how much he wants to lower the tax rate, or what he would cut from the proposed budget. He plans to discuss specific details at a Tuesday work session, he said.

But he said lowering the tax rate in the face of a 9 percent increase in overall property values would be a show of good faith, especially because the district will need to ask voters to approve a bond issue in the coming years to pay for more schools. It would not have to be much to appease taxpayers, Schulte said.

This is a good opportunity to show to Lincoln we are ... good stewards to set up a bond issue in the coming years, he said.

Lincoln Independent Business Association President Coby Mach said LPS decision not to offer some property tax relief could influence a proposal by a state senator to float a constitutional amendment limiting how much local governments can collect from taxpayers.

He said hes unsure if LIBA will offer more specific recommendations about how to reduce the proposed LPS budget.

LPS has demonstrated to us over the course of the last four or five years that they will not accept recommendations or input, and at this point Im not sure well take the time to go though every line by line budget item, he said.

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Budget increases outpace growth in enrollment; LPS cites technology, new schools, greater needs of students - Lincoln Journal Star