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CFO reports steady budget tracking, enrollment dip and possible state funding increase
Summary
CFO Ryan Wallace told the board that the district is tracking to budget, with salaries as the largest expense, a small enrollment decline since last month, and a potential 5% funding increase in the state formula under legislative consideration.
CFO Ryan Wallace gave the Lake Pend Oreille School District board a financial update on Feb. 11, saying the district is tracking close to budget while noting timing for levy and state payments and a small enrollment dip after semester change.
Wallace said the district receives a large share of property tax and tort levy dollars in an early payment and that about 55–60% of certain levy revenues arrive with the first payment. On the expenditure side he said monthly salary costs for the general fund are about $3,500,000 and that purchase‑service and materials spending had slowed after early‑year buys.
Wallace reported the district’s non‑duplicated state enrollment as 3,783 and noted a slight month‑to‑month decline typical after the first semester. He also said attendance rates across the district are “well above the state average,” which supports funding because state apportionment is tied to attendance. He told trustees that transportation and some other state funding typically come later in the year.
On statewide funding matters, Wallace said the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee (JFAC) approved an increase in the funding formula assumptions that would add dollars for a 5% raise in career ladder, administrative and classified bases; he characterized it as increased funding in the formula that would only take effect if the legislature enacts it. “That is additional dollars and that’s good. So that'll be, if it gets approved by the legislature, that'll be baked into the form of prediction we estimate our revenues,” Wallace said.
Wallace provided statewide context — number of students, districts and charter distribution — to help trustees compare district size and funding expectations. The board did not take a budget action at the meeting; Wallace said staff would continue to monitor enrollment, attendance and legislative developments.
Separately, the superintendent presented the district’s open‑enrollment report for the public record and explained that published open‑enrollment numbers indicate whether schools are at or over the board‑approved capacity; negative numbers in that report indicate the school has passed the approved cap and must be reviewed for space before accepting additional students.
