Budget workshop: declining enrollment and FES expansion cut state funding; district freezes hiring and will present recovery plan April 1

Budget director Mister Remchuck presented the district’s initial 2024–25 budget status at the March 14 School Board workshop, telling trustees that the March (third) FEFP calculation reduced the district’s revenue by about $6,558,539 relative to the prior estimate and that the district’s budgeted expenditures now exceed estimated revenues by roughly $33,200,000.

Why it matters: The district’s unassigned fund balance is projected to fall below the board’s 5% policy threshold; state rules require a financial recovery plan if that level is breached. Administrators said they will present a recovery plan at the April 1 board meeting.

What the presentation said - Required Local Effort (RLE): Remchuck reviewed a long‑term decline in the state’s RLE rate and said the district has seen reduced local funding support; the presentation cites roughly a 42% decrease in the RLE rate over recent years and an estimate that if the RLE had been maintained at prior levels the district would have received an additional roughly $205.7 million over the past decade. - Third Calc impact: The district recorded a $6,558,539 reduction in FEFP revenue in the third calc due mainly to lower traditional (brick‑and‑mortar) FTE and higher counts in Family…