Centennial School District projects multimillion-dollar shortfall; board considers class-size changes, MBIT tuition and schedule shifts

Mister Greenwood told the Centennial School District Board of School Directors on Feb. 27 that updated assessed values and other recent changes have increased a projected budget deficit by about $463,000 and left the district facing a multi-million-dollar shortfall if no recurring savings are found.

The presentation focused on where the district gets revenue and where it spends it, and stressed that most of the budget is fixed: salaries, benefits and debt service make up roughly three-quarters of expenses. Greenwood told the board, “We are in a structurally deficient deficient mode,” and said the district has been using one-time measures and reserve balances to plug gaps but needs recurring reductions to balance future years.

Why it matters: the gap affects staffing, services and program choices that directly touch students and taxpayers. Board members and staff repeatedly distinguished one-time moves the district used last year — delaying technology refreshes or drawing down reserves — from recurring changes that would reduce ongoing costs.

Key points from the presentation and discussion

• State budget and local impact: Greenwood reviewed Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed state budget and told the board that Centennial would not qualify for the governor’s largest equity supplement but would see modest increases: about $116,000 in basic education funding and about $96,000 in special education funding, for a roughly $213,000 total state increase under the proposal. Ready-to-Learn grant funding remains fixed at $380,000, Greenwood said.

• Cyber-charter and CVLA: Greenwood said a proposed cap on cyber-charter tuition could benefit the district by…