Jackson Public Schools outlines preliminary FY26 budget amid state funding uncertainty

Jackson Public School District officials presented their preliminary fiscal year 2026 budget assumptions and timeline, warning the board that state and federal funding uncertainties could require program adjustments.

The district’s chief operating officer and finance officer, Earl Burke, told trustees the state legislature closed its regular session without an approved FY26 appropriations bill and that the Mississippi Department of Education has issued guidance the district is using to form assumptions. Burke said the legislature had proposed an increase in the base student cost of about $147 per pupil and proposed total education funding (including pre-K) of roughly $2.9 billion, but the lack of a signed appropriations bill leaves those figures uncertain.

Why it matters: The district’s planning assumptions affect staffing, insurance budgets, facility maintenance and students’ services. Officials said health insurance rates and employer retirement contributions will add materially to district costs, and the potential loss of federal indirect-cost recoveries tied to expiring ESSER/ARP dollars could shift more operational expense…