Fremont County School District #25 reviews budget options to restore frozen steps, consider base raises and one‑time purchases

A district staff member presented four preliminary budget options to the Fremont County School District #25 board, centered on restoring five years of frozen step increases for affected staff, the possibility of a base pay increase, and one‑time purchases including buses and band uniforms.

The presentation, which board members and staff said is intentionally preliminary, laid out four options: 1) restore steps only (no base increase), 2) restore frozen steps without a base increase, 3) restore frozen steps plus a base increase, and 4) restore steps, increase the base and fund a large one‑time purchase. The presenter said the board will not finalize any of the larger items until payroll and negotiating outcomes after the district’s September 20 payroll are known.

Why it matters: restoring frozen steps and increasing base pay would raise ongoing personnel costs that the district must sustain year to year; board members expressed interest in improving competitiveness with neighboring districts while also pressing staff for figures showing whether the district can sustain those recurring costs.

Most important facts: the presenter said the district is considering giving back five years of frozen steps to impacted staff in some options, and noted one column in the budget shows a $325,000 figure tied to step payments. The presenter told the board, “I think we’re about 400,000 off. I think we’ve got 4 to 500,000 in there already,” referring to depreciation/reserve balances for a turf replacement. The presenter also said the district previously relied on ESSER funds and related indirect costs last year, which contributed roughly $1 million to avoid a deficit; those funds will not be available in the same way this year.

Board members asked whether the proposals would create a deficit; the presenter said the district expects not to be in a deficit and is using a budgeting tool and ongoing work to finalize projections. Several board members said they favored options that returned frozen steps; one member recommended option 3 (restore steps plus base increase) while another signaled support for options 3 or 5 (the speaker references in the transcript use a five‑option numbering that was later clarified during discussion).

Staff described possible funding strategies for one‑time purchases. For band uniforms, the presenter said there is a tournament fees account with roughly $35,000 that could be directed toward uniforms next December or January, and that shot clocks and other equipment purchases also compete for that account. The presenter said the district is considering putting money into depreciation reserves for vehicles and for turf replacement but will not finalize that until year‑end close and post‑payroll reconciliation.

Board members raised operational concerns: sustaining any base increase would tighten the district’s budget, particularly if enrollment declines continue — presenters and members noted a three‑year enrollment decline trend. One board member asked staff to bring comparative base‑pay data (county and similarly sized state districts) to the next full presentation; staff said they will present that analysis at the July meeting (the presenter spoke of a July 16 meeting date).

Next steps: staff said it will finalize projections after the September 20 payroll and negotiating updates, and provide a fuller presentation to the board at the July meeting referenced in discussion.

The board moved on to other business and later proposed an executive session for student discipline; the motion to enter executive session was made and seconded in open session but the vote is not recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.