Superintendent warns $1.1M-plus funding gap; district trims central-office roles to protect classrooms

Superintendent Dr. Laurie Putnam presented a preliminary budget forecast for the 2025–26 school year to the St. Cloud Area School District board on May 7, warning that several state and policy changes threaten the district’s general fund and outlining staffing and program adjustments already made.

“Most of our revenue — 85% — is tied directly to state allocations,” Dr. Putnam told the board. She said three near-term budget pressures — the expiration of one-time READ Act literacy aid ($370,000), ongoing unfunded unemployment insurance costs (about $250,000) and the governor’s proposed change to the compensatory revenue formula (projected loss of $485,000 under the initial proposal) — together represent more than $1.1 million in reductions or underfunded obligations.

“That underscores the importance of grounding our staffing and budgeting in conservative, transparent assumptions,” Dr. Putnam said, explaining why the district made early reductions when staffing for 2025–26.

To address the initial $620,000 gap from the…