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Blaine County School District projects $1.4 million shortfall in preliminary 2025–26 budget
Summary
During an April 29 work session, trustees and staff reviewed a dynamic financial model that shows a projected $1.4 million general fund deficit for 2025–26. Staff cited enrollment declines, slower state funding growth, federal grant uncertainty and rising costs as drivers. The model is a working document and does not yet reflect a staffing change
Trustees and finance staff for Blaine County School District 61 reviewed a draft, dynamic financial model April 29 that currently projects a $1.4 million general fund shortfall for the 2025–26 fiscal year.
Trustee Stone, the board chair, opened the work session by asking staff to present the district’s “school finance basics.” Director Crowe (finance staff) and Trustee Turner walked trustees through the model, which staff described as a live forecasting tool that incorporates enrollment projections, average daily attendance, state and federal revenue formulas, and detailed expense accounts.
Director Crowe summarized revenue and expense structure: roughly 53% of general fund revenue comes from local property taxes, 44% from state sources and about 2.2% from federal funds; payroll and benefits account for about 83% of expenses. The presentation traced a longer-term shift in Idaho funding, noting a 2006 change that moved school funding toward state sales tax and the district’s continuing reliance on a fixed stabilization…
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