Pelham City Board approves FY2026 budget, personnel actions and stadium concessions contract

PELHAM, Ala. — The Pelham City Board of Education on Sept. 8 approved the district—s FY2026 budget and a slate of personnel, contract and capital items at a special-called meeting at the Central Office.

Lauren (staff member) told the board the updated budget reflects only minor changes since the previous hearing: Title II professional-development funding rose by about $25,000, Title III English-learner allocations increased about $6,000, and two elementary-school robotics grants of roughly $3,000 each were added. The district also received an approximately $56,000 pass-through payment from the state that must be forwarded monthly to a specialized treatment center in Pelham called the Learning Tree, Lauren said.

The biggest adjustment was to the general fund balance. The district had previously projected roughly $200,000 in excess revenues; staff reported increasing that figure to roughly $426,000 in order to hold the district—s reserve steady at about 3.4 months of operating expenses rather than allowing it to slip toward 3.3 months. As a result of those and other line-item edits, Superintendent Dr. Johnson recommended board approval of the FY2026 budget. The board approved the budget by voice…