Auburn schools propose $64.7 million FY2026 budget, citing health insurance, special education and salary costs

Superintendent Dr. Dorff presented the Auburn School Department’s proposed $64,718,893 FY2026 budget at an April 7 Auburn City Council workshop, saying the plan “supports students, makes responsible financial decisions, and plans thoughtfully for the future.”

The proposal would raise the total budget by about $2.6 million, or 4.2 percent, from FY25. The local share request to the city is $21,488,252, an increase of $733,514, or 3.5 percent, Dr. Dorff said. She described the budget as built around four pillars: student success, equity and access, operational efficiency and long-term sustainability.

The budget document supplied to councilors and the public shows Auburn School Department serves 3,364 students across nine schools with roughly 600 staff. District demographics cited by Dr. Dorff: 52.2 percent of students are economically disadvantaged, 19.5 percent receive special-education services, 11.8 percent are multilingual learners and 6.3 percent are experiencing homelessness. Enrollment rose by 96 students year over year.

Dr. Dorff said the increase in the proposal is driven primarily by three line items: health insurance cost increases (16.6 percent, roughly $1.1 million), special-education costs…