Board of Education adopts 2025–26 budget, moves $5.26 million between funds

The Board of Education on Sept. 22 approved the district’s 2025–26 fiscal-year budget and authorized administrative work to prepare the 2026–27 budget. The board also discussed and scheduled a transfer of $5,260,000 from the education fund into the operations-and-maintenance and capital projects funds to cover remaining costs tied to the full‑day kindergarten project. The budget vote followed a brief public hearing earlier in the meeting during which the board said no written or verbal comments had been received about the amended 2025–26 budget. Superintendent Dr. McHugh opened the hearing and later recommended members contact Eric De Porter with any questions on TRS and IMRF reports that are required by school code to be presented annually. Board members discussed the routine fund-transfer procedure and Eric De Porter said the transfers are “in order to comply with the only school code fund accounting rules” and that most of the transfer is “connected to the full day k project.” The board approved the consent agenda and then the budget by roll call; the final motion to authorize administration to prepare the 2026–27 budget also passed unanimously. Discussion-only items and routine reports preceded the vote. Dr. McHugh noted that the district will enact penalties this month for transportation routes that remain out of compliance after a three‑day grace period given in August to the district’s contractor, Safeway. He said the district included the amounts covered by these transfers in the budget presented for adoption. The board’s action included: adoption of the 2025–26 fiscal-year budget as presented; approval of routine consent items; and a resolution authorizing administration to prepare the 2026–27 budget. No amendments to the budget were recorded during the meeting. Board members did not identify a deadline by which capital vendors must be paid beyond the standard accounting process; Eric De Porter said the transfers would move funds to the capital projects fund to “cover the trailing expenditures that we need to pay out to contractors to complete that project.”