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Wayne County BOE reviews $212.4 million superintendent proposal, flags special-education and enrollment risks
Summary
Superintendent presented a proposed FY 2025–26 budget totaling $212,378,467, citing enrollment (ADM), rising retirement and hospitalization costs, loss of ESSER funds and a gap between the district's exceptional-children share and state funding as main budget pressures.
The Wayne County Board of Education reviewed Superintendent Dr. Richard's proposed 2025–26 budget in a presentation on April 7, 2025, that set total expenditures across funds at $212,378,467 and outlined timeline steps toward adoption.
Dr. Richard told the board that the proposal aggregates state, local, federal and capital funds and that the district is planning for a 3% salary increase and higher benefit rates. "For fund 1, which is your state funds, we're looking at $142,393,812," he said, and added the district used this year's allotment rules while awaiting updated DPI formulas.
The nut graf: the budget presentation framed near-term choices the board will face. Officials said the district must close gaps driven by higher benefit costs, projected utility and insurance increases, and a local funding shortfall caused by Wayne County Public Schools' above-average share of students in the Exceptional Children (EC) program.
Key figures and assumptions
- Total proposed expenditures: $212,378,467 (all funds). - Fund breakdown cited by district staff: State (Fund 1) $142,393,812; Local (Fund 2) $28,317,776; Federal (Fund 3) $17,459,606; Capital Outlay (Fund 4) $8,735,000; School Nutrition (Fund 5) $11,173,993; Special revenue/local (Fund 8) $4,298,280. - Average daily membership (ADM) used in planning: 17,001.25 (October PMR best months used under state rules). - Projected salary increase used for planning: 3% (pending legislative action). - Retirement rate projected to increase from 24.04% to ~25%; hospitalization projection increased to $8,600 per full-time employee.
Budget pressures and risks
District staff warned that Wayne County Public Schools' EC population (reported as 15.3% of head count) exceeds the state funding assumption (13%), leaving the district to cover the local share for services. Dr. Richard said, "When you consider some of the specialized services can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars, that's a significant source of concern." He also noted that federal ESSER funds used for COVID-era recovery have expired, removing previously available capital and remediation dollars.
Other risks cited included: uncertainty in DPI's final allotment formulas, the state's expansion of opportunity scholarships (vouchers) that could shift local funding, and charter enrollment changes that would reduce the district's local revenue share.
Next steps
The superintendent requested the board review the proposed budget and scheduled public comment. The board will return on May 5 for adoption of the superintendent's budget and must submit the adopted budget to the Wayne County Board of Commissioners by the county deadline cited in the presentation (noted in materials as May 15).
Ending: district staff said they will present additional detail for stakeholder review and will discuss the superintendent's budget in the upcoming meeting with county commissioners.
