Superintendent Dr. Peter Minor told the Edmonds School District Board of Directors on a regular business meeting evening that the district’s K–12 enrollment is down about 350 students this year, a decline that “is tracking with other school districts in the region.”

The district’s executive director of business and finance, Lydia Seli, told the board the district closed its fiscal year Aug. 31 and that the year-end books will be presented in November. Seli said encumbrances shown in July expenditures may either be spent before year end, moved into 2025–26, or closed out, and that the projected ending fund balance remains roughly where it was in June.

Why it matters: state funding is tied to enrollment counts and apportionment. Seli said the district “may need to utilize some of the 24–25 fund balance to make up for any apportionment shortages this year due to enrollment shortage,” and the board was told the final official head count is taken in June, with minor administrative adjustments allowed through August.

Board discussion and details: Seli reminded the board that some budget lines—like student travel—are often exceeded because travel is typically funded by fundraising, donations or specific transfers rather than the general travel budget. She also noted capital outlay was higher than budget because of some food-service equipment replacements and vehicle replacements in maintenance.

Dr. Minor and Seli both emphasized uncertainty: Dr. Minor said more students commonly enroll after initial counts, but “it would be unusual to make up 350 students,” and Seli said the enrollment picture is “essentially as it was at the end of the school year.” The board was invited to raise questions directly with Dr. Minor between now and November.

Notes on process and next steps: Seli will bring the audited year-end report in November. The board discussed the role of a fund balance to absorb unanticipated enrollment swings and were reminded that final adjustments to state apportionment are determined by the official counts and OSPI procedures.