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Superintendent outlines $6.2 million in preliminary 2025–26 budget reductions
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Garrison presented preliminary options to close an estimated $6.2 million shortfall for the 2025–26 Beloit School District budget, including positions eliminations, compensation freezes and program cuts; board members asked for follow‑up details and timelines.
Superintendent Dr. Garrison told the Beloit School District Board of Education the district faces preliminary reductions of about $6.2 million for the 2025–26 budget year and outlined categories where the district could target cuts, including staff positions, compensation freezes, contract renegotiations, and program reductions.
Dr. Garrison gave a breakdown of the district’s preliminary options: central office and building administration reductions equal to roughly nine positions (about $1.4 million); building‑level professional and support staff reductions of about 24 positions (roughly $2.1 million); potential district‑wide compensation freezes estimated at about $1.6 million; and increased employee insurance premium contributions estimated at up to $250,000. He also listed additional possibilities — pausing Chromebook replenishment at some grade levels, replacing some MacBooks with Chromebooks, pausing supplemental social‑emotional curriculum materials, reducing athletics and activity budgets, reviewing elective course offerings based on enrollment, and reviewing contracts up for renewal such as the HES custodial contract.
Dr. Garrison emphasized the uncertainty of final outcomes pending the state biennial budget: “Unfortunately… we won't get any real hard information around our biannual budget till possibly in the summer,” he said, adding that final state budget decisions and timing will determine whether layoffs or rescinds are necessary and when additional revenue might appear in district accounts.
Board members asked clarifying questions about timing and revenue. Board member Tom Hankins asked when potential changes in state special education funding would affect the district; Dr. Garrison said the district would “really… know until, like I said, the summer. October is when the final budgets are given to the rest of the state, and so our first check typically comes in December.”
Board members requested the slide Dr. Garrison used during his presentation and asked administration to provide detailed follow‑up on implementation implications, timelines, and any potential legal or contractual constraints tied to reductions or contract renegotiations. Dr. Garrison said the administration will return with more detail as the district receives clearer state budget information.
No formal reductions were approved at the meeting; the presentation was a preliminary information session and the board asked the administration to continue analysis and report back.
