District leaders outline budget development and ROI process; academic coaching, attendance and compensation among priorities

District leaders used the retreat to outline a more rigorous, return‑on‑investment (ROI) driven budget development process for fiscal 2026 and to present the preliminary priorities and implementation risks that will guide their proposals.

The big picture: The superintendent said teams have been “interrogating every dollar” and reviewing baseline budgets, vacancy factors and program inventories to find efficiencies and potential reallocations. Staff said the aim is to produce a budget that reduces reliance on fund balance and aligns spending to the district strategic plan.

Key fiscal drivers and obligations: Staff reviewed expected state budget actions (Governor’s proposed increases for QBE and pupil transportation) and district cost pressures, including employer retirement contribution increases, cost‑of‑living adjustments, years‑of‑service steps and recurring textbook costs. Staff cited a current planned use of fund balance of roughly $8.2 million — about $2 million of which is for scheduled textbook purchases — and said the current process intends to avoid or sharply reduce reliance on reserves.

ROI approach: The district described a tiered ROI process to evaluate programs and investments: a broad program inventory and baseline cost review; targeted…