The Centralia High School Board approved a 4.99% tax levy, staying below the threshold for requiring a Truth in Taxation hearing. Superintendent Chuck Lane noted that even though the district is raising the levy, the district’s tax rate has decreased from last year, and has decreased every year since 2022.
In discussing this year’s audit, Lane said that Centralia High School’s tax rate has stayed low this year because the district has paid off old long-term bonds including the original bonds for the construction of the high school, which were paid off in June 2025. Taxes for the bonds that paid for new turf for the football field were abated, as the district will pay those bonds using sales tax money. The audit gave the district a financial profile score of 3.55 out of a possible 4, sufficient for Recognition status.
The board disclosed the district’s current fund balances as required by state law. As of November 30, the district’s total balance across all funds stood at $10,447,310.
In the principal’s report, principal Reid Shipley noted that a group from the National Opinion Research Center at University of Illinois Chicago visited Centralia High School in December as part of a study on teacher retention. Shipley said the researchers chose to include CHS in the study due to its unusually high teacher retention rate for a rural school district.
A letter of resignation was accepted from Will Henegar as annex security guard. Thomas Fischer was employed as Industrial Tech Auto Teacher for the 2026-27 school year and for the remainder of the 2025-26 school year starting January 5.
