Albany County School District #1 trustees review budget as federal Title II–IV funding remains uncertain

At a work session, Albany County School District #1 trustees reviewed a proposed fiscal-year budget and heard district finance staff say the district will absorb about $1 million in federal Title II, III and IV funds unless the U.S. Department of Education restores those grants.

The finance presentation laid out specific program amounts and the board was told staff had reworked the budget to avoid presenting a deficit. Miss Green, a district finance staff member, said, “we had to absorb about we had to absorb about a million dollars in federal funds in this budget.” The meeting closed with trustees agreeing to adopt the proposed budget at next week’s board meeting and to return with FY25 amendments in July if needed.

School funding matters locally because the shortfall affects staff salaries, school-level services and program contracts. Trustees were warned that most of the grant funds support salaries and benefits and cannot be eliminated without reassigning staff. The board discussed options including using a special reserve for technology replacement and trimming non-salary contracts.

District staff identified the specific federal amounts under discussion. Miss Green said Title II…