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Board approves budget adjustment to use lease funds for employee leave buyouts

3516982 · May 13, 2025
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Summary

The board approved a FY adjustment to use lease‑fund revenue to cover expected staff leave buyouts and other lease‑funded items after administrators reported tighter state funding and an anticipated $600,000 net reduction in unit revenue compared with the prior year.

Los Alamos Public Schools trustees voted May 13 to approve a budget adjustment allowing the district to use lease‑fund revenues to pay staff leave buyouts and other designated lease-funded items, following a district presentation on state funding changes and projected enrollment units.

Superintendent Mike Johnson and Chief Financial staff reviewed the finalized state budget form the district received after the board’s prior budget presentation. Assistant Superintendent (presenter: referred to as Ms. Guy in the meeting) said the district "have submitted our budget. We do not have approval yet," and detailed line-by-line differences driven primarily by an automated state projection that lowered the district’s funded unit count, which presenters said translated to roughly a $600,000 decrease from last year’s state general fund allocation.

Why it matters: presenters said revenue pressures combined with a 44% salary step increase for staff made the next fiscal year’s budget tight. Business staff identified staff leave buyouts — a recurring cost that averages about $300,000 annually — as a timing and cash‑flow pressure because payouts occur at employees’ final payrolls and require predictable budget authority.

Board action and specifics: Board member Copeland moved approval of the FY adjustment to allow lease‑fund dollars to be used for leave buyouts and other lease‑funded needs. The motion passed unanimously on roll call (President Colgan, Vice President Wyman, Secretary Copeland, Member Adams, Member Spector all voted yes). Trustees and staff discussed maintaining transparency and monitoring the lease fund balance; presenters said the district would provide a clear, tracked line item for leave buyouts.

Ending: District leaders said they will continue to monitor state adjustments and bring additional budget details or requests to the board if needed; the board directed staff to track and report lease‑fund usage transparently.