Superintendent warns Secure Rural Schools uncertainty could shift costs to county; seeks bridge fund and staff continuity

Coconino County Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Mangold told the Board of Supervisors on May 6 that the county’s education service agency provides services that extend beyond classrooms — from literacy and STEM to youth mental health and school-based counseling — and that uncertainty about Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding threatens a number of countywide education programs.

Mangold said the agency supports 24 schools through literacy coaching, special‑education services and mental‑health programs. “Education is the pathway out of poverty,” Mangold told the board. “Schools are the first line of prevention and response to a host of issues facing our community.” She added that the office used ARPA and other grant dollars to expand literacy and mental-health support since the pandemic and now seeks a stable funding path.

The superintendent asked the board to carry forward a $600,000 bridge allocation set aside in a prior year as contingency for personnel and to allow matching for new grants. The manager’s recommendation that the board carry that one‑time allocation into FY26 was discussed during the hearing; Mangold said the superintendent’s office retains indirect-cost recovery from grants to smooth staffing between awards, but the bridge fund would be a backstop if those balances are not sufficient.

Board members pressed for detail on SRS exposure. Finance staff explained that SRS payments this year are a small revenue share — roughly $300,000 — rather than the historic formula funding the county previously received, and that the department is managing the risk in the manager’s recommendations. Mangold told the board she will continue grant drafting, teacher‑housing (teacherage) projects and the literacy rollout (LETRS-based training), but said long-term service continuity depends on reliable funding.

The board did not take a separate vote on the superintendent’s request during the hearing but agreed to the manager’s recommendation to hold a FY26 baseline that preserves current staffing while using the bridge and indirect recovery as temporary supports if federal SRS funding is not restored. Supervisors asked staff to return with a FY27 plan that would reimagine funding for the superintendent’s office if SRS remains uncertain.

“The school is the safest place a person can be,” Mangold said. “If we want to address youth mental health and community safety, we need to prioritize schools.”