Estill County Board approves FY26 working budget, multiple MOAs and senior trip; adopts electronic requisition controls

The Estill County Board of Education on Sept. 18 approved the district's FY26 working budget, authorized several memoranda of agreement for student services, approved a senior-class overnight trip, and requested capital fund reimbursements, board members said at the meeting in the Estill County Board of Education boardroom in Irvin.

Superintendent Brock opened discussion of the budget and turned the presentation to Mr. Yost, who reviewed how the district will use Munis electronic requisitions and roll-up codes to track spending by department and by fund. "We've got principals, finance secretaries, department heads. They're trained," Yost said, describing monthly monitoring meetings with principals and department directors and saying the system will update users when a purchase would put them over budget.

The board voted to approve the FY26 working budget after the presentation. Board members and staff described the budget as a working document that can be amended during the year if revenues change or if the district receives additional SEEK (state) funds. Yost noted the budget document shows the district's Fund 1 (general) and Fund 2 (grants) breakdowns and that the packet distributed to board members is 47 pages long.

The board also approved multiple outside agreements. The board approved a memorandum of agreement with Baptist Health to provide mobile mental-health services at district schools; the superintendent said Baptist Health would come to schools and offer counseling to students who need it. The board approved an amended interagency agreement with the Community Action Council (CAC) related to preschool funding and a local Head Start memorandum of agreement similar to the district's prior-year agreement.

Other approved items included continued membership in the Kentucky Education Development Cooperative (KEDC) and a shortened school day for a student that had already been recommended by a school-level committee. The board also approved the senior class overnight trip to New York City, April 20'April 24, 2026, per the request that parents and students had chosen that destination.

In public comment and later discussion, district staff and a board member noted transportation remains underfunded at the state level, and that the district must use general-fund dollars to fully cover transportation costs despite state transportation allocations. A board response encouraged residents to contact their state legislators about transportation funding.

Votes at a glance

- Approval: KEDC membership. Motion by Sheila Samples; second Tammy Hardy. Outcome: approved, 4-0 (recorded at 881.82'919.875). - Approval: Memorandum of agreement with Baptist Health for mental-health services. Motion by Tammy Hardy; second Sheila Samples. Outcome: approved, 4-0 (recorded at 920.435'965.41). - Approval: Shortened school day for a student (school committee recommendation). Motion and second recorded; outcome: approved (recorded at 965.47'1010.055). - Approval: Senior trip to New York City, April 20'24, 2026. Motion by Sheila Samples; second Sharon Whitaker. Outcome: approved (recorded at 1031.435'1094.845). - Approval: FY26 working budget. Motion by Veil/Sayla Samples; second Sharon Whitaker. Outcome: approved, 5-0 (recorded at 1111.555'1633.9551). - Approval: Capital funds request for FY25'26. Motion by Tammy Hardy; second Carrie Smallwood. Outcome: approved, 5-0 (recorded at 1642.58'1713.9349). - Approval: Amendment to interagency agreement with Community Action Council (CAC). Motion by Shayla/Sheila Samples; second Sharon Whitaker. Outcome: approved, 5-0 (recorded at 1714.875'1758.57). - Approval: Local Head Start memorandum of agreement. Motion by Shayla/Sheila Samples; second Sharon Whitaker. Outcome: approved, unanimous (recorded at 1765.3816'1809.4299). - Approval: Consent items (minutes, treasurer's report, authorization to pay bills). Motion by Tammy Hardy; second Sheila Samples. Outcome: approved, unanimous (recorded at 1814.0499'1871.74).

Why it matters

Approving a working budget and putting electronic requisition controls into daily use affects how the district authorizes and monitors spending throughout the year. The MOAs approved authorize outside mental-health and early-childhood services to operate on district campuses, affecting student access to counseling and preschool services. The board's approval of the capital funds request initiates a process to recoup restricted capital costs the district has paid.

Supporting details and context

- Munis and controls: Yost described the district's use of Munis for requisitions, saying the system allows users to allocate requested amounts by specific budget codes (for example, section 6, ESS, Title I) and that requisitions will flag potential overruns before purchase orders are issued. - Funds and revenue: Yost walked through funds in the packet and said Fund 1 is the general fund (SEEK and local taxes) and Fund 2 contains grants (federal, state, local). He noted other funds include capital/construction and food service. He identified a line in the materials describing $18,000,000 in revenue from state sources as part of the packet presentation. - Amendments and future changes: Yost said if the district receives additional SEEK revenue or other unanticipated funds, the superintendent and finance staff would return to the board with a budget amendment for approval. - Transportation funding: In response to public comments received online, district staff said state transportation allocations do not fully fund current local transportation costs and that the district must make up the shortfall from the general fund.

Ending

Board members closed the meeting after a round of principal and program reports. The board will post any future budget amendments for public review and said staff will continue to provide monthly budget updates to principals and department directors.