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Board approves FY 2025-26 estimate of needs after reporting largest carryover in 11 years
Summary
Tahlequah board approved the district's FY 2025-26 estimate of needs and discussed a record carryover after the 2024-25 fiscal year; staff said the budget will aim for a $6–6.5 million carryover while budgeting roughly $49.25 million in appropriations.
The Tahlequah Public Schools Board of Education on Sept. 18 approved the district's estimate of needs for fiscal year 2025-26 after staff described revenue, expenditure and carryover figures from 2024-25.
The board received a presentation showing 2024-25 revenue of $15,066,296.58, expenditures of $42,159,007.04 and a carryover of $7,907,289.54 — described in the presentation as the district's highest carryover in 11 years. Board members said the carryover growth reflected stronger-than-expected state and federal collections and higher local receipts.
School finance details: staff reported the building fund carryover at $7,257,867.27 and proposed a building fund appropriation for FY 2025-26 of $7,932,817.44. The administration told trustees it plans to budget $49,251,786.19 in total appropriations for FY 2025-26. Finance staff said they will present a full, line-item budget to the board next month.
Board priorities and risk management: staff said the district intentionally grew the carryover in recent years to create a larger reserve to maintain services amid grant and revenue uncertainty. Trustees agreed on targeting a carryover in the $6.0 million to $6.5 million range going forward to provide a buffer for potential fluctuations in state funding, student-weighted funding changes that will be finalized after Oct. 1, and other revenue variability.
What the board approved and next steps: the board moved to approve the estimate of needs and supporting schedules; staff will return in a subsequent meeting with a detailed budget and site-by-site spending plans. The board also discussed that per-state reporting schedules, motor vehicle and other state-collected revenues can vary quarterly and affect year-end carryover.
Implementation notes: finance staff said October 1 student counts and weighted funding calculations will be used to refine revenue expectations. The board emphasized that planned building fund and bond-related spending will be evaluated alongside the voter-approved bond program and the district's prioritized site needs.
