Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Budget Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
SLPS CFO presents FY26 proposed budget showing projected use of fund balance; board discussion on grants and staffing costs
Summary
Chief Financial Officer Kimberly Johnson presented the district's proposed FY26 budget, showing projected expenditures above revenues and the recorded Prop S bond receipt; board members pressed for more information about grants, special education costs and public Q&A accessibility.
Kimberly Johnson, chief financial officer, presented the St. Louis Public Schools proposed fiscal year 2026 budget to the board on May 20, laying out revenue, expenditure and fund‑balance projections and explaining how the district recorded recent bond proceeds.
Johnson told the board that FY24 actuals show an increase in fund balance and that the district recorded $25 million in bond proceeds in FY25 because accounting rules require recording revenue in the year received even though planned spending may occur in FY26. She warned the board the proposed unrestricted FY26 budget projects revenues of about $400 million and expenditures of about $433 million, meaning projected use of fund balance to cover an estimated shortfall; staff presented cost‑reduction steps including eliminating long‑vacant positions and reviewing purchase services.
On grants and revenue, Johnson said local and grant revenues are estimates that will be refined when official allocations are known in the fall: "The amounts that you're seeing for FY26 are estimates — we won't know the true allocation until the September–October time frame," she said. She also flagged a projected $6 million decrease in state revenue tied to the basic funding formula and charter-related adjustments.
Board members asked for public sharing of written questions and answers the administration had provided in advance; a governance‑committee referral was proposed to determine release. Members also raised concerns about long‑term staffing plans, especially for special education, with Johnson and other administrators reiterating the district's intention to hire certified staff where possible and to use contracted providers when state‑mandated IEP services require immediate placement.
Johnson described Prop S accounting: $25 million of bond proceeds were recorded in FY25 and are budgeted for spending in FY26, with projected interest earnings shown in FY26. She summarized major expenditure categories and noted efforts to reduce projected FY26 spending from FY25 levels by revising staffing and purchase-service plans.
No formal board vote on the FY26 budget occurred at the meeting; administrators offered to return additional information and to route specific document‑sharing questions through governance and legal review before wider publication.
