At its Aug. 1, 2025 meeting the district school board reviewed the board budget and confirmed that a $50,000 line for dues and fees now includes an unpaid 2025–26 membership invoice that must be paid from this fiscal year.
Board members asked staff to check invoices for late fees, confirm credits, and calculate an updated, post-adjustment balance so the board can decide whether to reallocate remaining funds toward athletics, listening tours or other priorities.
The discussion matters because membership invoices that normally would have been paid before June 30 were not processed in the prior fiscal year and have rolled into the current budget, staff told the board. Staff said credits from vendors had been received and that, when asked about penalties, “No. There are no late fees,” according to the meeting record.
Board members and staff clarified which membership years were unpaid or already paid. The board was told the unpaid invoice is for the 2025–26 membership year; the 2024–25 year had been paid. The $50,000 figure shown in the proposed budget was calculated to include the unpaid 2025–26 invoice as presented to the board.
Board members proposed several options for any funds freed by recent item changes. One member suggested directing available money to athletics and student activities; another suggested funding a World Cafe and a listening/learning tour. Superintendent input noted that any reallocation would be handled as part of the district’s overall budget-balancing process and that departments are given targets when gaps must be closed across the organization.
The board also discussed a sudden change in a private partnership that had provided roughly $30,000 a year to district athletics. Staff said the former partner had provided $5,000 to each high school football team and $1,000 to each volleyball team. Coaches were reportedly notified of the separation in short order and some posted about it on social media; staff said the district intends to backfill the promise for this year by shifting dollars from other budgets while finalizing details.
Staff committed to provide the board with concrete follow-up: an updated budget number that reflects the travel/development changes approved previously, a calculation of the board’s adjusted balance after the unpaid invoices are accounted for, and confirmation about any late fees or line-item credits. The district also reiterated that some federal funding flows through the Kansas State Department of Education and that the state indicated it expects to release those funds to districts within about a month, per staff comments at the meeting.
The board did not vote on a final reallocation of the remaining board-budget dollars at the meeting. Board members instructed staff to return the revised figures and to include the topic during the board’s next scheduled meeting so members can make a formal decision.
The board’s next regular meeting is Aug. 12, when members said they will set aside time to review department budgets and the updated board-budget figures.