BLAIR, NEBRASKA (2025 August 26, Tuesday)
Don Harrold, Writer / Editor
editor@blairtoday.com – Facebook
4-3 vote falls short of supermajority needed; September 8 meeting scheduled for 3% proposal
The Blair Community Schools Board of Education failed to pass a proposed tax levy increase Monday night after passionate debate, with a 4-3 vote falling short of the supermajority required for approval. The board will reconvene September 8 to consider a smaller 3% levy increase.
Board members Schoby, Callahan, Larsen, and Cada voted in favor of the increase, while Tabor, Loseke, and Sturm opposed it. Fredericksen was not present for the vote.
Under Nebraska law, school districts must receive approval from at least six of seven board members to exceed their state-imposed spending authority—a measure designed to protect taxpayers from excessive tax increases.
Tensions Surface During Debate
The most heated exchange came between Board President Kari Loseke and member Denise Cada over the urgency of the district’s needs. When Loseke stated, “Other people are panicked. But I don’t feel that today is a time for panic,” Cada quickly responded, “I wouldn’t say ‘panic,’ I would say ‘prepared.'”
The philosophical divide was evident throughout the meeting, with board members Courtney Tabor and Denise Cada on opposite sides. Their passionate positions were visible in their demeanor during the discussion, according to observers at the meeting.
The Case for the Increase
Superintendent Dr. Randy Gilson made an impassioned plea for the $1.7 million increase, arguing that years of deferred spending had left the district vulnerable.
“We haven’t asked for it in 20 years,” Gilson told the board. “We have tried to be wise and take care of things. I think what this will help us do is take care of safety with our facilities, particularly Arbor Park, and other needs that come up.”
Gilson detailed the district’s recent financial challenges, noting that severe storm damage two weeks prior had created unexpected expenses. “Right now, we had a little over $3 million in our building fund. All of this to pay for the storm’s damage is coming out of that $3.5 million. That’s our rainy day fund.”
The superintendent emphasized the district’s fiscal restraint over two decades, pointing out that between 2011 and 2020, “we spent flat. I mean, almost the same amount of money. In fact, our school budget in 2019-20 was $300,000 in spending higher than what we spent in 2011-12.”
Board member Steve Callahan, a 50-year district employee who voted “yes,” supported the increase, describing aging infrastructure that hadn’t been updated since his hiring in 1970. “The high school building has not changed on the inside since the day I was hired in 1970,” Callahan said. “We’ve changed the carpet after 30 years and things like that. But those are cosmetic—electricity, the movable walls, all those things—we can’t afford to do that.”
Callahan stressed safety concerns: “We haven’t been able to do all the safety things that I want to do in the buildings, you know, all the unified locks so teachers all have the same key, like in all the elementary schools. We’re getting close to having that done, but not completely, because that’s expensive.”
The veteran board member made an emotional appeal about accountability: “I would implore everybody on the school board to think about that—if something were to happen, something horrible were to happen in one of our schools, and we knew about it ahead of time, and we didn’t make the decision to do something like this so that we could fix it.”
Denise Cada, who voted in favor, appeared visibly committed to her position throughout the discussion, particularly when challenging Loseke’s characterization of the situation as creating “panic.”
Community Support
The proposal also drew public support during the meeting’s comment period. Dr. Brian Sandall, a mathematics teacher at Blair Community Schools and 27-year district resident, urged the board to approve the increase.
“As a school board member, you should have one question in mind as you make decisions: is this good for kids?” Sandall told the board. “Our current operating budget is suffering some significant challenges due to the changes in state funding and property tax restrictions by the legislature. This has caused me great concern about the future of our district.”
Sandall acknowledged the political difficulty facing board members: “I recognize that this is a challenging decision for you. The public is burdened by high taxes, and if you make this decision, you’re going to face a public where you’re unpopular and probably meet stiff resistance.”
However, he warned against inaction: “The downside to not making the decision to exceed the base growth percentage is that I fear our district will not remain competitive with the other districts, and our kids are going to suffer.”
Sandall concluded with a direct appeal: “You might be pressured, called names or worse, but do what is right for our kids. A vote yes will have a limited effect on our taxes. A vote no will negatively impact our students and community for years.”
Financial Context and Comparisons
Despite the proposed increase, Blair would maintain competitive tax rates. Gilson presented comparative data showing Blair’s current general fund levy at 63 cents per $100 of valuation, compared to similar district Waverly at 83 cents.
“When we’re competing with these school districts—Gretna, Bennington, Fort Calhoun—for teachers, we’re doing it on 20% less than what they are,” Gilson explained. “It’s starting to catch up with us, and it’s only going to get worse if we don’t get the $1.7 million.”
For taxpayers, the impact would be modest. Gilson calculated that for a $100,000 home, the increase would cost $26 annually if valuations remained stable. “If you have a $300,000 home, then it’s $66 to $180. So it’s about $200. We’re not talking about a terrible amount.”
Infrastructure Challenges
The district faces significant deferred maintenance issues. Callahan described outdated systems throughout the district: “Our auditorium stage lights—there are eight lights. They’re original—as old as the building, 1969. So 50-some years old.”
Storm damage has compounded these challenges. “We had roofs in all but one building. The roofs had damage to them,” Gilson reported. “We had leaks that came into the building, so we had pretty significant expense on getting water out of there. We also had damage to HVAC units.”
The superintendent noted that equipment costs have risen dramatically due to inflation. “When we made our plan to replace buses, we were predicting buses to be $82,000. Well, guess what? They cost $138,000.”
The Opposition
Board President Kari Loseke, who voted “no,” argued the district could manage with existing resources. “I don’t feel that today is a time for panic,” Loseke said. “We have a budget that we can bring forward tonight that is balanced without raising taxes.”
Loseke pointed to available reserves: “We still have—I mean, there’s $4 million in there. We’re going to add another two—that’s $6 million, right? I mean, truly, we’ve started projects with less than that.”
She expressed willingness to consider future increases if negotiations with teachers prove difficult: “If we go through negotiations this fall and we settle—if it’s hard to settle, I will vote for an override for teacher salaries. But today, we don’t need—I don’t believe that we need it.”
Board member Courtney Tabor, who ultimately voted “no” despite initially supporting the measure, expressed conflicted feelings throughout the debate. Her visible passion for her position contrasted sharply with fellow board member Cada’s equally strong support for the increase.
“I’m fearful of how much of this money is actually going to go toward a safety project, and that has been a big concern of mine—that we won’t address the safety needs like we were initially thinking we would be able to,” Tabor said.
Tabor acknowledged the political difficulty of any tax decision: “It’s not an easy decision. And I think no matter which way you choose—what’s the worst part about being on the board is, no matter which way you choose, you’re criticized for it.”
September 8 Alternative
With the larger increase failing to achieve the required supermajority, the board scheduled a September 8 meeting to consider a 3% levy increase—a smaller alternative that may have better prospects for the six-vote threshold.
The failed vote highlights the tension between maintaining fiscal responsibility and addressing accumulated infrastructure needs in a district that has kept spending increases minimal for two decades while property tax concerns remain high statewide.
The September meeting will determine whether Blair schools can secure additional funding for safety improvements and deferred maintenance, or whether the district will continue operating with its current constrained budget. The visible divisions among board members suggest the September vote may be equally contentious.
