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Canutillo ISD finance chief briefs board on projected shortfall and 47-day fund balance
Summary
Finance presenter Christie Pullman told the board the district projects a budget shortfall and a fund balance that would equal roughly 47 days of operating reserves, below the boardpolicy 90-day target; staff outlined one-time sales and health-care savings that could reduce the gap.
Christie Pullman, the presenter, told the Canutillo ISD Board of Trustees on May 27, 2025, that the district—s fund-balance projection for the coming school year is about $8.2 million, or roughly 47 days of operating reserves, below the board policy target of 90 days.
Pullman said the district is projecting a deficit for the upcoming school year and described conservative assumptions used for revenue and enrollment. "Our projected deficit for the upcoming school year is projected to be at 1.4," Pullman said, adding that at the last discussion the district—s projected shortfall had been $6,300,000.
The presenter reviewed steps the district expects could reduce the shortfall or provide one-time relief: an estimated $500,000 savings from changes to the employer health-care contribution for employees who opt into the plan, and a possible real-estate transaction expected to close next fiscal year that could provide about $2,000,000 in one-time assistance. Pullman said the district is using conservative attendance and tax-collection estimates to model revenue.
Board members asked clarifying questions about what the projected receipts would cover. Pullman said some of the anticipated revenue must be spent on designated items so it would not fully increase the district—s days-of-coverage metric. "Basically, the money we're getting, we're gonna have to spend," Pullman said when asked whether the incoming funds would increase the fund-balance days.
The presenter also said the district realized savings from prior budget reductions in personnel and operations and will present additional details about health-plan savings at a future meeting. Pullman noted the district currently expects to realize conservative tax-collection rates and that final comptroller values are not available until after the fiscal year ends on June 30.
The presentation included a breakdown of assumptions used for enrollment, attendance-rate projections, and property-tax timing; Pullman said officials are using a 94% attendance assumption for projections and are rolling students forward in the projection model.
Board context: trustees and staff emphasized that the district maintains a rolling conservative approach to projections and that the fund-balance shortfall is driven by enrollment declines, lower tax collections under current assumptions, and prior reductions in expenditures. Trustees asked for additional, detailed follow-up about the health-plan savings proposal and the timing of any one-time real-estate proceeds.
