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District staff outline 2025‑26 budget estimates: small enrollment decline, referendum revenue and $5.5 million in identified savings
Summary
Director of accounting Raquel Queen told the board the district expects a modest unweighted FTE decline, potential choice‑student adjustments, and a millage referendum projection of about $16.3 million; the superintendent’s proposed cost‑savings totalled $5,522,649 and the district listed spending priorities funded by the referendum.
The Martin County School Board received a budget update on June 17 from Raquel Queen, the district’s director of accounting, outlining 2025‑26 revenue estimates, projected student full‑time equivalents, proposed uses of a local referendum and the superintendent’s cost‑saving proposals.
Queen told the board estimated unweighted FTE (excluding charter students) would fall about 1.3%, from 16,062 to 15,853. She said the district could add up to 232 choice students, which would raise the district’s estimated unweighted FTE back toward last year’s level, to about 16,085.
The presentation included the most recent state FEFP third‑calculation report (dated March 3, 2025) and a reminder that the final state budget had not completed the governor’s approval at the time of the presentation. Queen said the state’s teacher salary allocation (TSIA) increased, but that total revenue after accounting for TSIA was down because of the lower enrollment estimate.
On capital and referendum projections, Queen said the district’s millage referendum (which authorizes up to 0.5 mills) is projected to yield about $16.3 million on the fiscal roll cited. The superintendent’s proposed referendum spending priorities and totals listed by Queen included safety and security ($2,400,000, including SRO cost gap), mental‑health programs ($1,200,000), employee retention (including MOUs) totaling about $11,965,496, academic initiatives ($764,279) and a small line for employee training ($10,000). Queen said the referendum projected expenses matched the estimated referendum proceeds.
Queen also presented the superintendent’s cost‑saving measures for 2025‑26, which she said total $5,522,649 and include allocation corrections, program reductions, reorganizations and other actions. She told the board that the tentative capital ad and a five‑year capital plan will be discussed further, and that a final capital ad will be approved during the TRIM process.
Queen said next steps include public hearings in August and September, delivery of a tentative budget book to the board on July 29 and continued timeline steps leading to the district’s final budget adoption. Board members asked clarifying questions and were directed to contact the superintendent or the accounting director with follow‑ups.
