Washington County School District holds public hearing on 2025–26 budget; finance chief outlines revenues, debt and concerns

The Washington County School District Board of Education held a public hearing May 12 to receive input on the district's proposed 2025'26 budget and the final 2024'25 figures. Bill(s), the district's business administrator, presented the budget, outlining major revenue sources, capital projects and program risks.

"Alright. So, it's budget hearing time again," Bill(s) said as he opened his presentation. He told the board that roughly 60% of the district's revenue comes from the state, about 30% from local property taxes and roughly 5% from the federal government; he identified Fund 10 as the district's primary operating fund and estimated a Fund 10 budget next year of about $380,000,000.

Bill(s) said the district was holding an eye on three federal funding streams that make a significant difference to operations: Title I, special education funding and federal support for the food-service program (Fund 49). He told the board that smaller programs such as class-size reduction and Title IV, a program the district has used for counseling and arts, were areas of concern if federal budgets shrink.

He described components of district spending: "instruction" covers classroom teachers and classroom supplies but not building heating and custodial costs, which appear in buildings and grounds. The business services budget includes the district's technology platform costs (PowerSchool, School Messenger and other software) and totals nearly $1 million for software alone, Bill(s) said.

Bill(s) told the board that online course revenue had grown sharply since the start of the pandemic. He said the district's online portal payments rose from just under $3,000,000 in an earlier year to more than $10,000,000 in about three to four years, driven by statewide demand for online classes.

On capital spending, Bill(s) said the district is building a new middle school, beginning construction on a Dixie High School CTE (career and technical education) building and conducting major improvements at Pine View High School and Pine View Middle School. He reported $151,000,000 of outstanding debt and projected debt service of about $24,000,000 for the coming year; some bonds may be refinanced if interest rates decline.

Bill(s) also reviewed the food-service fund, projecting a budget just under $14,000,000, and noted recent changes: federal COVID-era reimbursements temporarily increased the fund balance and the district had used that balance to cover reduced-price meals for families. He said the state will pick up some reimbursements going forward and flagged a potential federal nutrition standard limiting added sugars as a future challenge for menu planning.

Board president David Sterling opened the hearing and invited public comment. No members of the public signed up to speak during the hearing.

Why it matters: the public hearing is part of the district's budget-adoption process. The budget presentation identified the major revenue sources the district will rely on next year, capital projects already underway, and program-level risks if state or federal funding changes.

The board did not take a final adoption vote at the May 12 hearing; Bill(s) said the document and project lists are available in the district's published budget book for public review.

Ending note: board members thanked Bill(s) and district staff for the presentation and acknowledged that the upcoming school year carries continuing uncertainty around federal program funding and construction costs.