New Prague’s school board meeting Monday, Jan. 26, offered a wide-ranging list of topics and requests for residents to consider.
Budget reports the past several months have been anything but rosy. The report from last month was a bit more optimistic than usual. The district’s revised budget from 2025 actual to 2026 increased by 5.344% Total increase of general fund expenditures of $336,654, mainly due to increase of salaries and benefits. The district’s largest cost is wages and salaries. They increased by a sub-inflationary 2.93% thanks in part to reductions in staffing created by staffing changes. The district also received great cooperation from its largest union, the group representing teachers. The modest increases offset supplies increasing from 2025 to 2026 by 19.25% and equipment increasing by 74.56%.
Regular instruction of students amounts to 43.15% of the district’s general fund. It increased by 4.33% Special education covers 19.24% of the general fund and increased by 5.32% During the levy campaign, critics railed on the amount of district administration. And because it’s such a public offering, costs for co-curricular programs utilizes 3.59% of the district’s general fund and increased about 3.54%. New Prague spends about $1.5 million in administration of its schools and sites and $524,175 on overall district administration, an amount totaling less than 4% of the school district’s general fund. Site administration increased by a scant 2.65% while district administration costs decreased by $1,002 – thanks in part of a retirement and reassigning of duties and slight compensation bump without adding a new administrator.
Also of note, the district budget reductions and cautious spending have helped increase the general fund balance to 15.21% for 2026 – nearly twice the 8% required in current district policy. The board will likely be discussing a change to policy to increase the required fund balance in the weeks to come, a change likely making sense as long as the cushion is not excessive.
The budget revisions from 2025 to 2026, like most of what the school board does, was approved unanimously without public discussion.
ICE concerns
Superintendent Andy Vollmuth updated the school board on the district’s response to the current concerns of ICE agents working in the Twin Cities. While ICE has changed its rules and can now enter a school, the immigration status of students is private data under Minnesota law, according to the Minnesota Data Practice Act and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). ICE agents have no place in our schools.
The school district values its partnership with local law enforcement, Vollmuth said. The district aims to support students and families and has support services in place. He said the district’s response can change based on the information at the time.