District 11 unveils preliminary budget proposal that prioritizes classroom pay, trims central office

The Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education on April 23 heard a preliminary budget presentation from district staff that centers on increasing pay for school-based staff and shifting spending away from central administration. District officials said the plan directs almost all new recurring state funding to compensation for staff near students, funds a substantial nonrecurring pay component, and relies on additional realignments to preserve classroom positions.

The recommendation arrives as district leaders said state-level funding remains uncertain and enrollment trends continue to affect the districts per-pupil revenue. Officials said the district expects roughly $5 million in new state funding under the School Finance Act this year, and that the compensation package the board reviewed will cost more than that on a recurring basis.

Why it matters: District staff framed the budget as a strategy-driven exercise to move resources to instruction and classroom-facing staff. Presenters said the district has already reduced central-office spending in prior years and will continue reorganizing central functions to make recurring and nonrecurring dollars available for teacher pay, pupil supports and prioritized student programs.

What administrators told the board - District staff told the board a roughly $5 million increase tied to the School Finance Act is expected, while the cost of the compensation package shown to the board totals about $8.4 million in recurring salary and benefits when fully annualized. Staff said they will make up the difference by redirecting existing funds and by ongoing central-office savings. - Staff described a 10% overall compensation approach for most employee groups made up of a smaller recurring increase and a larger nonrecurring payment: teachers (commonly grouped in the presentation as "Group A") would receive about 4% recurring and 6% nonrecurring; school-based non-teaching staff (paraprofessionals, custodians, admin assistants) about 3% recurring and 7% nonrecurring; central-office non-school employees about 2% recurring and 8% nonrecurring. Presenters emphasized most of the $10% overall figure is cash in hand for employees and that benefits increases and retirement contributions are calculated separately. - Finance staff said central-office reorganizations produced roughly $4.2 million in savings in the prior year and about $3.2 million in projected savings in the current plan, noting roughly $7.0 million of savings over two years from central-office changes. - Staff said the district freed about $1.3 million of general-fund dollars by adjusting how Mill Levy Override (MLO) funds are used, and that fund-balance projections remain sizeable even after the proposed compensation steps and nonrecurring investments. - Presenters reaffirmed the districts stated aim not to reduce teaching positions at schools this year; staff said no school-based roles that are coded as central-office positions are being cut. They also said vacancies remain and that the district expects to continue work to place staff where they best support instruction.

Quotes from the meeting "We are intentionally shifting our resources to be closer to the mission of District 11," Director Trisha Nelson said during the presentation, summarizing the boards direction to prioritize classrooms. "All new money goes to compensation" was the language administrators used repeatedly in program slides. "The number one way to student achievement is access to high quality instruction," a presenter said when arguing why pay and staff realignment had to prioritize classroom roles.

Other budget details and next steps - Recurring vs. one-time: Staff said the plan emphasizes recurring salary increases where possible but deliberately includes large nonrecurring payments to accelerate compensation impact this year while preserving flexibility for future years. - Specific dollar figures presented to the board included approximately $8.4 million in total recurring staff compensation costs (about $6.8 million salary increases and $1.6 million in benefits) and nearly $13 million in nonrecurring compensation dollars earmarked for employees in the coming year. - Staff said the district is consolidating Title I funds into a consolidated schoolwide program to reduce administrative burden on schools while still tracking required federal spending separately. - Administrators demonstrated a staff-facing salary calculator tool they plan to publish for employees to estimate individual effects of the combined recurring and nonrecurring package.

Board discussion and concerns Board members asked for clarity on program-level impacts and whether student activities and arts opportunities would be preserved. Presenters told the board the budget keeps funding for athletics, performing arts and "peak experiences," and that the district has set aside $400,000 for visual and performing arts programming next year. The board also discussed student fees and fines. Administrators said the intent is to reduce barriers for extracurricular participation and to use district funds to cover basic costs so that families are not required to fund essential after-school or athletic participation. Administrators said they will bring a fees-and-fines agenda item to the board in the near term.

What the board asked staff to do Board members did not take a final vote on the budget at the April 23 meeting. The board asked staff to present the budget as a non-action item at a future meeting with line-item detail and to continue engaging employee groups and community stakeholders before final adoption. Staff said they will return with the full budget book and more detailed line items for board review and a non-action presentation before formal adoption.

Bottom line The district presented a preliminary budget built around realigning central-office resources and directing most new money toward compensation for classroom-facing staff. Staff said the plan preserves teaching positions for the coming year, increases average compensation through a mix of recurring and nonrecurring payments, and will be brought back to the board for formal review and adoption later this spring.