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Riverton board adopts 2025–26 budget, raises teacher base and sets aside reserves
Summary
The Riverton School District board adopted a $47.4 million general-fund budget for 2025–26 that raises the teacher base pay, funds step increases, and earmarks more than $1 million for reserves while planning contingencies if certain federal Title grants are lost.
Riverton — The Riverton School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adopt the 2025–26 budget on the amended document the administration uploaded during the meeting, approving a general fund of about $47,375,000 and a package of wage increases and reserve allocations.
The budget includes a proposed $1,800 increase to the teacher base pay, a pool for frozen step increases of $325,000, and transfers of $200,000 to food service and $170,000 to the district day-care operation. "Even with that said, we felt like we're we could put in reserves $1,100,000," said Colton, the district business manager, during his presentation. He added that if Title II and Title V funding is lost the district would assume roughly $609,000 in additional costs and had planned for that contingency.
Board adoption followed the district's public hearing on the budget and an earlier motion authorizing the administration to request a 25-mill levy to fund local support. The board also approved a separate motion to levy three-quarters of a mill for cooperative BOCES services (one-half mill to Fremont County BOCES and one-quarter to Northwest BOCES) and one mill for the recreation district.
Colton told board members the district closed fiscal year 2025 with receipts a bit above budget and spending below projections: the district budgeted to receive about $46,857,000 and spent about $44,479,000 in 2024–25, and actual receipts year-to-date were reported at about $47,083,000. He said the district planned to put roughly $2.45 million into reserves when accounting for food service and daycare funds but described a working plan that itemized reserve uses including bus replacements and turf depreciation.
Why it matters: The wage increases were prioritized after comparing local districts and addressing recruitment and retention pressures, especially for teachers and bus drivers. The board and administration said they tightened non-labor budgets to create room for wages and steps while keeping a reserve cushion in case state recalibration or federal grants change.
Board and next steps: The motion to adopt the budget used the amended salary schedule uploaded during the meeting; trustees approved that salary schedule and added one step to returning employees. The administration will monitor the state decisions on recalibration and Title funding and report back if revisions are required.
Sources: presentation and motions during the Riverton School District Board meeting; remarks by Colton, district business manager.
