Wenatchee School District holds budget hearing; board approves bus‑driver contract and 180‑day waiver

The Wenatchee School District Board of Directors met Aug. 12 for a public hearing on the district’s 2025–26 budget and four‑year projections and took two board actions: approving a collective bargaining agreement with the district’s bus drivers and adopting a resolution to request a waiver of the 180‑day minimum school year for K–12 under state rule WAC 180‑18‑040.

The budget presentation, delivered by Sean Fitzgerald, executive director of business and finance, outlined a $133.5 million total budget for 2025–26, updated enrollment forecasts tied to recent birth‑rate data, and several funding and expenditure items that the board will track before adopting the final budget on Aug. 26. Fitzgerald told the board the district is projecting a $2.5 million drawdown of general‑fund reserves in 2025–26 and emphasized federal funding uncertainty for programs funded through Title and other federal grants.

District context and why it matters: the general fund accounts for the majority of day‑to‑day operations and, as presented, makes up about 87 percent of the 2025–26 budget. The board must weigh declining enrollment projections, state funding formulas linked to student counts, and the potential for reduced federal grant funding when it adopts the budget Aug. 26 and certifies it to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) by Aug. 31. Fitzgerald said the district updated its forecasts after receiving 2024 birth data and added a longer forecast horizon to 2029–30 to reflect recent…