Laramie County SD#2 board approves preliminary FY26 budget and authorizes salary schedule changes

Laramie County School District #2 approved a preliminary fiscal 2026 budget and separate salary-schedule changes during its May 12 regular meeting, actions the district said are required steps before the final budget hearing this summer.

The board voted to accept the preliminary budget as presented and later approved a package of salary actions including steps and lane moves, a $1,250 base increase and the addition of a step at the bottom of salary lanes. "The preliminary budget is the first draft of the district's budget for the members of the board to review, and it's statutorily required to be presented to the Board of Trustees on or before May 15 of each year," a district finance staff member said during the presentation.

The district's finance presentation emphasized enrollment as the primary funding driver. The presenter noted the district's current average daily membership (ADM) was down about 1.6% from the prior year and that state funding uses the greater of prior-year ADM or a three‑year rolling average. The preliminary general fund revenue estimate for FY26 was listed at $22,363,500, an increase that the presenter said was largely driven by one‑time adjustments and the state’s ECA (external cost adjustment) approved during the 2025 legislative session.

Board members discussed key line items the preliminary budget relied on: the ECA adjustments (professional and nonprofessional labor increases of about 8.5% each, a smaller materials increase and an energy reduction), removal of additional CTE supplies funding (budgeted instead as a categorical grant restricted to equipment/supplies), and a one‑time change in allowable educational square footage for routine maintenance. The finance presenter also identified projected decreases in transportation reimbursement (estimated about $132,000) caused by unfilled driver positions and route consolidations, and an expected transfer to food service to cover a projected deficit.

The salary package the board approved included: funding for step increases and horizontal (lane) moves for qualifying employees, a $1,250 base increase (described as about 2.5%), and adding one step to the bottom of all salary schedules (estimated cost components: steps $137,000; horizontal moves $53,000; base increase $262,000; new bottom step $35,000; total including taxes/retirement about $487,000). The presenter cautioned the final budget would be revised for any board decisions not yet finalized and for final insurance and vendor renewals.

Board members asked for and received clarification about how the state funding model treats staffing experience and education, which the presenter said can lag by a year and therefore affect funded amounts. Several trustees expressed support for the salary measures as a way to remain competitive with neighboring districts.

The board approved the preliminary FY26 budget (motion: Julianne; second: Cody) and later approved the salary recommendations and schedule changes (motion: Michael; second: Kendra). The finance office will return with a refined final budget for the formal public hearing and adoption later this summer.

The preliminary budget presentation and the salary recommendation are subject to change before the final budget when assessed valuations and WDE reporting are finalized.