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Board reviews 2025–26 draft budget; members press for clearer fund-balance explanations and special-education cost detail
Summary
Mercer Island School District staff presented the 2025–26 draft budget and multi-year projections. Trustees asked for clearer footnotes on the reserve calculation, asked for historical projection-vs-actual comparisons, and pressed for more detail on special-education contracted services and out‑of‑district placement costs.
District finance staff presented the 2025–26 budget summary and multi‑year projections at the board’s June meeting and described year‑to‑year changes across general, capital, debt‑service, ASB and transportation funds.
The presentation highlighted: estimated 2025–26 general‑fund expenditures near $80.6 million, a projected ending general‑fund balance in the 4.5–5% range, lower capital spending after pool-related projects finish, and a $600,000 transportation reserve to fund vehicle purchases. Staff said the district built “capacity” into the budget by budgeting for slightly higher enrollment (38.50 FTE vs. 38.20) and that the budget assumes an additional ~50 students worth of revenue capacity.
Trustees asked…
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