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Kennewick schools preview 2025–26 general fund: enrollment dip, staffing shifts and blanks pending Legislature
Summary
District staff presented a preliminary general-fund update for 2025–26, noting an originally modeled $5.5 million gap, an estimated drop in basic education revenue tied to about 27 students (~$300,000), net reductions of 4.5 K–5 positions (attrition) and multiple figures still pending final legislative and assessor data.
Tom Brohart, a district staff member presenting the preliminary 2025–26 general-fund picture, told the board the district’s February 2025 adopted budget assumed a $5.5 million shortfall and that projections remain fluid while the state legislative session and assessor numbers are finalized.
Brohart said preliminary enrollment trends indicate a modest decline in basic education entitlement revenues, which he said equates roughly to a $300,000 drop in funding and approximates the loss of about 27 students; he cautioned that enrollment data move daily and the figure will be refined over the next month. He also said special-education enrollment fluctuates and that staff are projecting an estimated decrease but could not provide a firm number at this meeting.
On staffing, Brohart said the district is trending at budget overall but expects to reduce about 4.5 full-time equivalent K–5 positions through attrition for a projected savings of roughly $571,000. He said middle- and high-school staffing showed no net change at this stage, while some non-basic-education positions funded by federal or state grants were adjusted by 2.3 FTE (a projected $292,000 impact). Brohart also noted a projected increase in certificated/classified pools (overloads, extra periods, stipends and substitutes) of about $952,000 as a cautious planning estimate.
Brohart reviewed several MSOC (maintenance, supplies, operations and contingencies) line items that staff had updated with current vendor estimates: utilities were modeled as a 5% increase, property/casualty insurance around a 7% increase, curriculum-adoption expenditures (CKLA and related items) reflected $1.4 million in commitments, fleet costs and maintenance assumptions were adjusted modestly, and staff recommended holding a contingency of about $2.5 million pending final legislative action.
Board members asked clarifying questions about how the district models certificated pools and overloads, the timing of state apportionment changes and whether an altered apportionment schedule would require a contingency plan. Brohart said the district will pivot as needed when the state sets final apportionment and multiplier numbers and that next updates would appear at the May and June board meetings. He also reminded the board the legislative session ends next Sunday and that many funding items will be updated after that date.
No formal budget decisions were taken; staff will return with updated numbers for the May 21 and June 18 meetings.
