Sierra Vista Unified superintendent outlines $4.15 million gap, proposes middle‑school restructure and two elementary closures

Sierra Vista Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Eric Holmes told the governing board at a work session that the district faces a roughly $4 million budget shortfall for 2025–26 driven primarily by falling enrollment and the end of pandemic-era federal funding, and outlined short‑ and longer‑term steps the administration recommends to balance next year’s budget.

Holmes said the district has lost about 1,500 to 1,600 students since 2019 and 310 students this year, reductions that decrease the district’s average daily membership (ADM) and the state funding tied to it. "You cannot have a premier school district unless you're willing to pay for it," Holmes said, summarizing the link between enrollment, ADM and revenue.

The administration presented a package of measures designed to cover the current deficit and reduce structural shortfalls for 2026–27. Holmes said the district has identified approximately $4,151,872 in total savings and funding‑source moves that would cover the existing 2025–26 shortfall, including more than $1 million estimated in salary savings from position reductions already enacted and several reclassifications of positions to grant or alternative funding sources.

Key short‑term steps described by Holmes include: - Transferring some staff salaries out of the district’s maintenance and operations (M&O) budget into other funds (classroom site funds, grant funds) to reduce recurring M&O expenditures. - Moving certain instructional positions currently funded by M&O into Indian gaming funds for one year (Holmes cited $409,000…