Novi Community School District families and taxpayers can weigh in on the 2026-27 operating budget Tuesday, Aug. 4, when the Finance Committee of the Whole meets at 5 p.m.
The meeting agenda lists one substantive item: a discussion of the district's 2026-27 budget. A public comment period follows, open to anyone who provides their name, address and any organization they represent.
No vote is scheduled. The committee session is a discussion-only step before the full Board of Education takes action at a later meeting.
What led here
A Joint Capital Projects and Finance Committee meeting on June 15 discussed Truth in Taxation and the 2026-27 preliminary budget, laying groundwork for the board's June 25 votes.
At that June 25 meeting, the board unanimously adopted an initial 2026-27 budget resolution, according to meeting minutes. Members also approved the 2026-2029 bargaining agreement with the Novi Education Association by a 6-0 vote, locking in a multi-year teacher contract that will shape staffing costs through 2029.
The board certified the L-4029 tax levy for the 2026-27 school year and closed out the prior fiscal year's budget, both unanimously.
Superintendent Ben Mainka delivered a state budget update at the June 25 meeting, signaling that Michigan's still-unresolved state funding picture remains a variable for the district's spending plan.
Board members present for those June 25 votes included Vice President Beaudoin, Secretary Cook, Treasurer Kliebert and Trustees Mena, Michener and Roney. President Ruskin was absent.
Bond spending is separate
The district's $425 million bond program, approved by voters in November 2025, covers capital projects including a new activity center near Novi High School, playground renovations and a 50,000-square-foot innovation hub. That spending is separate from the operating budget under discussion Tuesday.
Superintendent Mainka told Hometown Life in October 2025 that the district was "adding debt obligation, but not new taxes," maintaining the total millage rate at 6.75 mills by replacing retiring debt. He made the statement while explaining the bond proposal to voters ahead of the November 2025 election.
What's next
Any budget decisions arising from Tuesday's discussion would require formal action at a subsequent regular board meeting. The full Board of Education meets next on Thursday, Aug. 13, at 6 p.m. at the Educational Services Building, where the NCSD Master Plan is also scheduled for approval.
