Madison Local board approves FY25 appropriations, hears state reimbursement delay for IDEA project cash request

The Madison Local Board of Education voted unanimously June 30 to approve the district's May financial statements, permanent appropriations for fiscal year 2025 and temporary appropriations to cover early FY26 expenses, while the treasurer warned a pending state reimbursement is delaying one federal grant payment.

The treasurer told the board, "Our reconciled book and bank balance was $12,633,802.01. Of that balance, $2,974,829.61 was general fund. So far through May, the general fund received $28,435,435.97 and spent $27,982,974.28." The board approved the financial statements and related appropriations by roll call.

Why it matters: the board set total appropriations for all funds at $38,475,731.23 and a general-fund appropriation of $30,931,027.56, establishing the legal spending limits the district will operate under for FY25. The trustees also approved temporary appropriations for July through September to ensure payroll and bills can be paid before permanent FY26 appropriations are adopted.

Most important facts: the district recorded debt-service appropriations of $1,858,875 and a permanent-improvement fund balance tied to capital projects of $210,138.40. Special-revenue funds (state and federal programs and district-managed student activity accounts) were shown at $4,072,813.64; food-service enterprise funds were $1,343,561.49; and smaller grant/special-trust funds totaled about $13,500.

The treasurer explained a state project-cash-request (PCR) process under the state's CCIP program requires districts to spend some project money before requesting reimbursement. Because a large PCR for the IDEA (federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) fund was submitted before the June 11 deadline but has not yet been paid, the district did not need to advance as much cash from the general fund this year. The treasurer said the outstanding PCR was about $219,000 and that the state's accounting system had accepted the request and issued a warrant number but had not released reimbursement, owing to the state's current spending-authority limits.

Board members asked for clarification about how roof repairs and other capital work are charged; the treasurer confirmed the high-school roof repair is in the permanent-improvement fund. The board also heard that prior-year advances totaled about $520,000, while this year advances were reduced to $78,893 because of proactive PCR timing.

Actions taken included approval of the May financial statements, adoption of permanent appropriations for FY25, approval of temporary appropriations to cover the first quarter of FY26, and authorization to make transfers and advances consistent with state law. All votes were taken by roll call and were recorded as approved.

What's next: the treasurer said June is a heavy month for expenditures and figures will shift when June activity is finalized and when the state processes the pending PCR reimbursement. The board will adopt final FY26 appropriations by September, as required by state law.