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 is “about 600,000,” Title III is “about 20,000,” and Dr. Kness, a district staff member, said Title IV is about $125,000 and “would be enhancements and enrichment programs” used for school safety, licensing, contracted services and some salaries. Staff summarized that the district is currently planning to cover roughly $1 million in anticipated federal reductions with general fund adjustments and reserves while hoping some federal money will be restored.

To reduce near-term pressure, staff zeroed a technology capital line of $200,000 and said the district plans to use a special reserve that is projected to reach $1,500,000 at the end of the year. Miss Green explained, “The reason why we took that down to 0 is because you have a special reserve fund that at the end of this year, that will be 1,500,000.0 that has been allocated to technology.” Cash reserves were described as approximately $14,000,000, with a statutory or policy limit mentioned around $16,200,000 plus a pre-1997 reserve of about $1,500,000.

Trustees pressed on what could be cut if federal funding is not restored. Miss Green and other staff emphasized that the majority of those grant dollars pay salaries and benefits, which limits one-time savings: “when you're dealing with salaries and benefits, it kinda puts you in a little bit of crunch,” Miss Green said. The proposed budget retains the pay items the board previously approved: $4,000 for certified/professional staff, $3 per hour for classified staff, funding for health insurance, the full SRO contract at $175,000 and universal first breakfast and lunch for students.

Board members raised other line-item questions. Staff said utilities were previously budgeted with an inflated buffer and that trimming that projection yielded about $140,000–$160,000 in savings. Activity and student travel budgets increase in the purchase-services category, accounting in part for a roughly $230,000 rise at Laramie High School tied to student activities travel; out-of-state travel for teachers remains in the budget at $50,000.

Trustees discussed communication and advocacy steps. Trustee Nate Martin and others proposed drafting a public letter about the local impacts of withheld federal funding and requesting meetings with state education leaders. Trustee Cecilia Aragon and other trustees urged clear, direct communication with families of students served by Title III and Title IV programs to explain the district’s contingency planning. A trustee also noted interest in coordinating with other superintendents to press the state superintendent and federal representatives for relief; the board said staff will request meetings and follow up.

Several trustees warned that the current plan is a stopgap. Miss Green said staff are preparing to adopt a balanced budget next week and will continue reviewing expenditures and revenue if federal decisions change: “we adopt this carefully crafted budget next week, and we keep rolling on a hope and a prayer that we're not gonna have any unforeseen circumstances,” she said. Trustees asked staff to return with FY25 amendment documents and analysis; staff said those would be posted by Friday or Monday at the latest.

The meeting closed with a motion to adjourn into executive session, which the trustees approved by voice vote.

While staff described multiple contingency steps, they repeatedly cautioned that long-term solutions depend on final federal and state decisions. Trustees instructed staff to continue detailed line-by-line reviews and to notify affected families and partner organizations if program changes become necessary.