Richland 2 CFO reports second-quarter budget on track but flags purchase-services overrun and staffing vacancies

Nancy Williams, senior chief financial officer for Richland School District 2, briefed the board on the district’s second-quarter financial report as of Dec. 31, 2024, and summarized progress filling positions approved in the 2025 budget.

“At the end of the second quarter, we had actual expenditures of $167,818,572 and encumbrances or open purchase orders of $22,075,988,” Williams said, and she told trustees the purchase-services category — which includes contracted services, software, copier rentals and contracted SROs — is projected to exceed budget by $3,153,005 unless funds are moved.

Williams provided a line-by-line staffing update tied to budget priorities in the ‘25 budget. She said all seven positions in priority #5 have been hired; teacher and instructional assistant positions approved in the budget have been filled; 22 of 29 instructional facilitator positions are filled with seven vacancies; one sign-language interpreter position remains vacant; and a nurse-floater position was still vacant as of Dec. 31. She corrected an earlier slide error and stated the filled positions total 88.6 with 15 vacant.

Board members pressed administration on the causes and recruiting challenges. Mr. Dennis asked whether the district is seeing applicants for instructional facilitators, interventionists and sign-language interpreters. Williams and other staff described particular marketplace challenges for speech pathologists and nurses, and said the district is meeting with speech pathologists as part of a planned phase-2 classification study.

Mrs. Porter noted pay-scale differences for speech-language positions and asked whether incentives are offered; Williams said the district covers licensure costs but has not historically provided additional compensation beyond the teacher salary schedule. On nursing, Williams said the district’s nurse salary schedule “starts at the $50,000,” which she acknowledged is below typical health-care wages, and that the district is reviewing pay scales in comparison with neighboring districts.

Williams also reported on federal- and special-revenue funds: special revenue receipts to date total $26,910,401 with expenditures of $19,000,014.72. She said an encumbered $20 million purchase order for food service provider operations causes a large open PO balance but does not reflect final expenditures; she said she expects the child nutrition fund to be in the black at year-end.

Ending: Williams told the board she intends to return with a budget-transfer proposal next month if required to move funds from salary/fringe to purchase services to cover contracted staffing while vacancies remain unfilled.