Englewood board approves $79.9 million 2025–26 budget after tense debate over fund balance

The Englewood Board of Education voted May 7 to adopt the district's 2025–26 school budget, appropriations of $79,873,803, after an extended public discussion and an executive-session review of confidential budget details.

Acting school business administrator Jason Jones told the board the budget reflects rising costs and declining enrollment, and that the district used reserves in prior years to balance operations. "We were in the midst of a cyberattack," Jones said, describing higher insurance rates and other unanticipated costs. Jones listed major budget drivers including increases in health benefits, out-of-district special-education tuition and utilities.

The vote followed lengthy board discussion about the district's shrinking fund balance. Jones and other officials told the board the district had used roughly $8.6 million of fund balance over the past four years and that the proposed 2025–26 budget includes a planned use of budgeted fund balance (about $2,267,000 as presented) to help close the gap between revenues and expenses. Board members repeatedly asked for clarity on how prior withdrawals were authorized and on the composition of the remaining fund balance: restricted buckets such as capital reserve, maintenance reserve and emergency reserve reduce how much is available for operating needs.

Board members pressed for better long-term plans to replenish reserves. Board member (and former finance committee participant) Mister Matthews said reliance on fund balance cannot continue: he urged a plan to reverse the withdrawals and said he would vote against short procedural efforts to rush budget discussion. Several members expressed concern about using reserves to cover recurring operating costs and recommended examining enrollment and retention strategies, including outreach to residents to address student loss to charter schools.

During the meeting the board temporarily pulled the budget from the consent agenda so the rest of the agenda could proceed and to allow public comment. The board later met in executive session on budget matters and then reconvened for the final roll call vote on resolution 25 F 99 (the 2025–26 budget). The roll call on the final motion to adopt the budget recorded the following recorded votes: Mister Flores: yes; Miss Wiggins: abstain; Miss Hicks: yes; Mister Matthews: yes; Miss Saber: abstain; Miss Pankhurst Watson: yes; Miss Rivera: yes; Mister Feinstein (president): yes. With the abstentions recorded the resolution carried.

The budget presentation included additional published figures: a tax levy of approximately $63,403,325 and projected impacts on homeowners (examples in the presentation showed approximate annual tax increases tied to assessed values). Jones and others warned that the district's budget flexibility is limited; several members urged more substantial revenue and enrollment strategies ahead of next year.

The board approved a number of routine consent items separately after removing the budget from that package; several board members recorded individual no votes or abstentions on particular resolutions (for example, members flagged resolutions listed as 25 A 79, 25 A 81, 25 P 91, 25 A 84 and 25 P 82 during the roll call). The meeting included two separate roll-call extensions (the body voted first to extend the meeting 30 minutes and later to extend again) so the board could complete the agenda and hold the required public hearing.

Why this matters: Board members said the district's remaining unencumbered fund balance is much smaller than in prior years, leaving fewer options to cover unexpected costs. The board approved the budget as required by state timelines but several members asked for concrete follow-up steps on reserves, enrollment strategies, special-education costs and vendor negotiations to avoid repeated reliance on one-time balances.

Looking ahead: Board members asked administrators to bring clearer, itemized fund-balance reporting and a plan for rebuilding reserves to upcoming finance and committee meetings; some members requested additional analysis of how filling open positions, changes in enrollment and special-education tuition will affect cash flow and reserves next year.