CFO previews FY2026 pressures: $3.1B general fund, modest per-pupil outlook, capital plan highlights Crossroads Academy and Lake Worth pool

The district's finance and facilities leaders presented a high-level preview of FY2026 budget development and capital projects at the Jan. 15 workshop, emphasizing constrained state revenue projections and a list of capital planning priorities.

Heather Frederick, the district's chief financial officer, told the board the general fund operating budget under development is roughly $3.1 billion and that about 76% of projected spending is school-related when district-operated schools, referendum allocations and charter pass-throughs are combined. Frederick said the state's long-range financial outlook is more modest than in recent years and that staff is planning for smaller per-pupil increases (she estimated something closer to a 2% increase rather than the 4% assumed in a three-year average the EDR used for projections). The district must produce school budgets by Feb. 20 even though the legislative session and final state funding figures will not be final until March.

Frederick described proposed program changes to be considered in budget development: a minor reallocation of speech-language-pathologist (SLP) allocations from secondary to elementary to better match service delivery; expansion of an athletics pilot to four additional high schools at a one-time cost of about $680,000 (estimated recurring cost when fully implemented of about $3 million); and a band pilot at up to five schools at about $140,000 per school (recurring $3.4 million when fully implemented).

On the capital side, Treasurer Leanne Evans and COO Joseph Sanchez summarized the district's rolling 10- to 11-year capital plan. Notable items discussed: a potential rebuild or relocation for Crossroads Academy (an alternative-education campus now in modular units) that could be sited at the West Tech campus to improve access to career-technical programs; replacement of the Lake Worth High School swimming pool, which the district closed because of structural and mechanical deterioration, and staff's exploration of a joint-use project with the City of Lake Worth Beach; renovation of the old D. Eisenhower facility for ancillary uses; and possible short- or long-term uses for the former adult-education center on Military Trail including police training space and expanded CDL instruction.

Other capital details: the district maintains a long-range plan tied to sales-tax proceeds and transfers to charter schools on a per-student basis are ramping up (currently mandated to move from 20% toward 60% allocation depending on schedule). Frederick noted transportation and maintenance account for a large share of department-level budgets (transportation moves over 50,000 students daily) and that an FPL rate increase was proposed for Jan. 2026 with unknown impacts.

Why it matters Budget planning is operating against a more conservative state revenue outlook, so the district is prioritizing limited resources while protecting direct services to students. Capital projects discussed (Crossroads, pool, facility repurposing) have multiyear cost and scheduling implications.

Ending Staff said budget workshops and Budget Advisory Committee meetings will continue through March; formal budget adoption follows state timelines and is scheduled later in the spring/summer.