Salem‑Keizer budget committee approves $1.15 billion budget as students and community urge retention of free youth bus passes

The Salem‑Keizer School District 24J budget committee voted unanimously May 19 to approve the proposed fiscal year 2025‑26 budget of $1,148,650,319 and to set property tax levies, including a permanent rate of $4.521 per $1,000 of assessed value and a $68,893,176 general‑obligation bond levy.

The vote followed more than 90 minutes of committee discussion and public comment, during which 10 registered speakers — many of them students or community members — urged the committee not to cut funding for the district’s free youth public‑transit pass, a program launched in 2022 that provides no‑cost bus access to students.

Why it matters: The budget approval sets the district’s spending and tax authority for the coming year. Public commenters said cuts to the free youth pass would sharply reduce students’ access to school, after‑school programs and health care, and they linked the passes to attendance and equity outcomes.

Several students and community advocates described personal or family reliance on the passes. “I am a sixth grader in Salem Keizer School District. I am here to demand that you keep the free youth passes,” said Nicole Islas during public comment. Former district student Roberto said the passes removed a barrier that sometimes forced him and his peers to miss school or walk long distances: he recalled rummaging “through my backpack for quarters” before the youth pass existed.

Student advocate Alex S. cited district ridership data, saying the free youth program produced “a 66% increase in September and [an] 89% increase in October compared to the previous years,” an attendance and ridership uptick he said translated to more students accessing school meals, tutoring and extracurriculars.

Committee discussion addressed multiple budget elements beyond the transit program. Superintendent Andrea Castaneda described follow‑up materials the district had provided on dyslexia training, early literacy plans and services for blind and visually impaired students; she also explained that certain positions are not interchangeable, saying, “A reading specialist is a highly trained, licensed professional … Dual language teachers are core classroom teachers in a dual language program. So those are not interchangeable.”

Committee member Jean Jeton proposed shifting $13 million from contingency to unappropriated ending fund balance (a reserve for the next fiscal year) to strengthen long‑term financial safeguards. Jeton framed the change as preserving total reserves while changing the mix between contingency and unappropriated reserves. Superintendent Castaneda and staff explained that money moved into unappropriated ending fund balance generally cannot be used during the fiscal year except for statutory emergencies (for example, a natural disaster or involuntary destruction of property), and that contingency funds are more readily deployable within the current year.

The committee voted on whether to place Jeton’s proposal on the list of items to consider further; it did not receive the six votes required to be added. The chair then called a formal motion to adopt the proposed budget as presented. Kelly Straub moved to approve the budget and tax levies; the motion was seconded and the committee recorded unanimous approval among members present.

Other substantive discussion items included: - Staffing: The budget reflects a net increase of about 66 full‑time equivalent positions in the general fund, the superintendent said. Staff described most of those additions as targeted to urgent needs — behavioral supports, positions serving students with disabilities, and classroom teachers for dual‑language and English‑learner programs — and said some were reinstatements of roles cut in the prior cycle (for example, library media support). - Medicaid reimbursement and health funding: Committee members asked whether the district could increase Medicaid billing to offset mental and behavioral health expenditures; staff said the budget includes a health coordinator and a fiscal analyst position to pursue increased billing, and that the district has applied to a state pilot to improve Medicaid reimbursement, but that timing and amounts of future recoveries are uncertain. - Administration and support staffing: One committee member proposed not making further cuts to administration or back‑office positions, arguing those roles are difficult to refill and have important regulatory and operational functions; that proposal functioned as a request to retain the presented staffing levels rather than a formal amendment that reached a vote.

The committee adjourned after approving the budget. The district’s tentative May 20 and May 21 meetings were canceled.

Votes at a glance - Motion: Approve proposed FY2025‑26 budget in the amount of $1,148,650,319 and set property tax levies at $4.521 per $1,000 (permanent rate) and $68,893,176 (general obligation bonds). Mover: Kelly Straub. Second: not specified. Outcome: approved by all voting members present. - Motion: Move $13,000,000 from contingency to unappropriated ending fund balance to increase long‑term reserves. Mover: Jean Jeton. Outcome: failed to obtain the six votes required to be placed on the committee’s list for further consideration.

What’s next: With the committee’s approval, the district can proceed with the adopted budget and levy rates for FY2025‑26. Several speakers and members asked for continued attention to literacy implementation, Medicaid reimbursement efforts and the community impact of any future changes to the free youth transit program.