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Board approves revised 2024–25 budget; trustees flagged custodial costs and rising special‑education expenses
Summary
The board approved a revised budget presented on the second FEFP calculation, set aside $700,000 of fund balance toward a systemwide custodial contract and reserved $118,000 for expanded support at Janie Howard Wilson; trustees discussed an operating gap to be amortized across schools and rising costs for contracted ESE services.
Chief Financial Officer Rick presented the revised 2024–25 budget and January financials; trustees approved the revision and the financial report as presented.
Rick told the board the budget uses the Florida Department of Education's second FEFP calculation and that the state’s third calculation had not been released; the revision therefore reflects the best available numbers but remains subject to change when the final calculation is published. He highlighted two proposed fund‑balance uses: $700,000 to cover part of a centralized custodial contract for the district and $118,000 set aside for operations tied to the Janie Howard Wilson special‑education (ESE) units. The budget reflects adjustments made after the district's October student survey counts and school‑level changes.
Trustees questioned details in the revised file: one trustee identified typographical and presentation issues, asked for the adopted budget the board approved in July for comparison and queried a change in taxable value numbers between the adopted and revised documents. CFO Rick said the adopted numbers derive from the legislature's conference report (the first FEFP calculation) and the revised numbers reflect Calc 2. The CFO clarified the board is not seeking an external loan to cover a projected operating gap; instead, monies temporarily borrowed internally to finish a campus will be repaid on an amortization schedule approved by the board and schools.
Trustees and administrators also discussed site‑level maintenance costs for portable classrooms and an observed rise in contracted ESE services: the district's ESE expenditures grew from roughly $300,000 in prior years to a projected $450,000 for the current year, the CFO said. The superintendent said the district will issue an RFP for custodial services for 2025–26 and asked for board input on how to fund ongoing cleaning costs; he estimated the $700,000 request covered roughly 65% of the anticipated systemwide cost and said principals will absorb the remaining portion.
The board approved the revised budget and the January financial statements and asked staff to return adopted budget documents for comparison and to bring back any required adjustments after the state's third FEFP calculation is released.
