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Board adopts FY26 quarter‑one budget revision after multi‑month review; deficit reduced to about $465,000
Summary
The Excelsior Springs R‑II School Board approved a FY26 Q1 budget revision, moving the district from a roughly $2.3 million projected deficit to about $465,000 by tightening budgets, recoding allowable expenses, capturing federal reimbursements and negotiating vendor terms; the board approved the revision 7–0.
The Excelsior Springs R‑II School Board voted 7–0 to adopt the district’s FY26 quarter‑one budget revision after administrators described a months‑long effort to narrow a projected deficit.
District staff told the board the original FY26 working budget showed roughly a $2.3 million deficit. Through a combination of expense reductions, program adjustments, vendor negotiations and better projection of revenues and reimbursable federal funds, staff said the revised projection reduced the deficit to about $465,000.
Budget actions and assumptions described to the board included: - Adjusting revenue estimates to historical collection rates (district staff said the district typically collects about 99% of property tax revenues). - Reallocating federal grant funds and pursuing additional reimbursable revenue (district staff said student services identified roughly $400,000 in additional annual reimbursements through special education and Medicaid procedures). - Recoding custodial, maintenance and utility costs to food service where allowed to reflect building share used by cafeterias and secure reimbursements. - Negotiating vendor contract increases (staff negotiated a lower increase — 2% versus the more typical 6% — on a multimillion‑dollar vendor agreement). - Reducing some discretionary line items and asking departments to prioritize needs versus wants.
Staff also reported that operational funds are now projected to be about $848,000 in the black, while long‑term facility debt service and capital transfers are the remaining drivers of deficit spending. The presenters explained that the district is carrying planned long‑term facility obligations, including two recent building purchase/renovation “house payments” that drive debt service pressure; those transfers account for capital fund deficits and will need further long‑term planning.
Board members asked about the key assumptions. District staff said the revision assumes full state funding of promised categorical and transportation reimbursements and no major capital emergency. Staff warned that utility costs and other line items may require further adjustments in later revisions and that the district expects to continue quarterly budget updates.
A motion to approve the Q1 revision was made by board member Jill and seconded by board member Brett; the motion passed 7–0.
District staff said the work included redoing the budget “three times in a hundred and ten days” and credited finance and administrative staff for negotiating vendor terms and identifying reimbursable revenue sources.
