Rochester schools project small surplus as board prepares June 17 vote on 2025–26 budget

Rochester Public School District officials told the school board on June 3 that next year’s proposed budget preserves the district’s referendum commitments, maintains class sizes and programming, and projects a small surplus while relying in part on one-time and prior‑year revenues.

John Carlson, presenting the finance team’s numbers, said the proposal shows about $408 million in new revenues next year and roughly $443 million in total expenditures across all funds, with an expected surplus of about $317,000 after applying assigned, prior‑year revenues. "When we apply that into the mix, we do have a projected surplus of $317,000," Carlson said.

Board members and staff emphasized why the referendum passed last year matters to the plan. Superintendent McCall told the board that the voter‑approved referendum was intended to stabilize operations, not to create new long‑term spending, and said setting the referendum at the level voters approved helped avoid deeper cuts. "Leaving aside the fact that the budget projection we're gonna hear about tonight would be…