Finance committee approves FY27 budget calendar; staff plans community meetings in October

Miss Renette Apodaca and Miss Rosalinda Montoya presented the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget calendar to the Board of Education Finance Committee on Aug. 27, saying the schedule is intended to start the budget process earlier than the prior year. Miss Apodaca noted the April 15 statutory submission date for budget materials. "You'll see at the very end, we do have the April 15 date for submission, and that date is what's in statute," she said.

Miss Rosalinda Montoya told the committee staff have begun planning community engagement meetings for October and that the district will run a survey in September to gather input ahead of those events. "We're gonna have 1 probably in Buena Fazio and then 1 again on the West Side," Montoya said, adding that the dates were being solidified and that the survey would be made available before the meetings.

Board members asked about how survey questions are framed and who will receive notice about community events. Board member Josefina Dominguez asked whether the community engagement ad hoc committee would be scheduling the events; Montoya said discussions are underway with the board office and the ad hoc committee. Board member Heather Benavides requested that information about the community events and the budget process be disseminated to all board members so they can encourage local participation. "Please make sure and communicate that to all board members," Benavides said. Staff said they will circulate final dates and survey links to the full board when details are confirmed.

Miss Montoya also described planned budget presentation templates that will break out major budget “buckets” — for example, special education and capital — and said program presentations will begin in March with final presentations in May if the calendar follows the proposed schedule. The committee voted to recommend consent approval of the FY27 budget calendar as part of the meeting’s consent agenda.