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District CFO warns state apportionment timing change will force Longview School District to carry cash into August
Summary
Longview School District Chief Financial Officer Patty told the board the state legislature’s change to the apportionment schedule will push roughly $2 million in revenue into August, requiring the district to use fund balance for cash flow until receipts arrive.
Patty (chief financial officer) told the Longview School Board that a change the state legislature made to the K-12 apportionment schedule will shift more state revenue into July and August and force the district to carry cash longer than planned.
“This is going to have to be carried now until August,” Patty said, describing how the legislature increased the July/August apportionment slice from 22.5% to 24% and moved some prior February–April apportionment into the later months.
The change matters because school districts receive large, uneven state payments across the fiscal year. Patty said the district’s general fund balance as of March was “almost 5,400,000.0,” roughly $850,000 lower than the same time last year, and that the district is using one-time fund balance to balance the current year. She estimated the timing change could require the district to carry about $2,000,000 in expenditures until those revenues arrive in August.
Board members asked for clarification about how the timing change works in practice. Patty said the adjustment effectively moves revenue timing within the same district fiscal year but shifts some receipts into the state’s next fiscal-year accounting window. “So the additional percent doesn’t hit until August,” she said, and the district will need to plan for the resulting cash-flow pressure.
Patty also updated the board on other budget items: enrollment-driven state funding remains roughly on budget (the April report showed the district about 40 students above budget for average full‑time equivalent), and general fund revenues and expenditures are “tracking as anticipated.” She noted the district had purchased five buses more than a year ago and has received four to date.
The board did not take formal action on the budget during the meeting; Patty said the district is awaiting final legislative bill signings and promised to return with additional details once the governor signs the budget and implementing bills.
What this means for next year will depend on final legislative language and the district’s modeling; Patty told the board staff will present fuller information to the budget committee and the board once state actions are finalized.
