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Budget update: Liberty projects $1.5M carryforward, freezes hiring and identifies cuts; board and public raise alarms over psychologist vacancies and contracts
Summary
District finance staff outlined a plan of purchase-order reductions, a hiring freeze and reallocated expenses that they say should leave about $1.5 million in carryforward across operating and capital for FY26. Trustees pressed for more details and residents urged the board to address high teacher turnover. Multiple formal board votes during the
District finance leaders told the Liberty Elementary Governing Board on April 15 that a combination of purchase‑order reductions, a hiring freeze and targeted transfers could leave the district with about $1.5 million in combined carryforward for fiscal year 2026, while staff prepared a May budget revision for FY2025.
Accountant Crystal Mosier and consultant Rebecca Williams presented numbers showing an estimate of roughly $500,000 carryforward for maintenance & operations (M&O) and about $1,000,000 for capital (DAA) if planned steps proceed. The administration said it will close or reduce noncritical purchase orders, use journal entries to move some expenses to alternative funds, and transfer $700,000 from DAA capital funds into M&O as part of the May budget revision.
Hiring freeze and program reductions: administration said a hiring freeze remains in place except for positions reviewed by cabinet; staff presented a prioritized list of membership, consulting and subscription reductions for FY26 that administrators had already trimmed. Among the proposed reductions are district consulting cuts, membership reductions, and trimming subscriptions — total preliminary reductions identified in the presentation exceed earlier estimates.
Psychologists and staffing concerns: multiple trustees and members of the public raised alarms about staffing for special education. Board Member Schmidt said she had been told zero of six psychologist positions had been re‑signed; she told the board that if the district must contract for psychologists, the contract cost could negate any current savings. Public commenters and trustees also highlighted a wave of resignations and non‑renewals this spring — the meeting’s personnel report showed a notably high number of teachers and administrators who are leaving — and urged expediting recruitment and retention efforts.
Spending snapshot and Auditor General data: The finance team also presented a new March monthly report with budget and encumbrance detail and discussed recent Auditor General classroom‑spending data. The board heard that per‑student spending has risen in recent years and that teacher pay is now for the first time above the state average in that snapshot; administration and board members emphasized context: construction of new schools, ESSER staffing decisions and other one‑time factors changed the district’s per‑student and facility numbers.
Next steps and calendar: staff said they will finish journal‑entry cleanups this month and bring a May budget revision to the board, with a proposed FY26 budget to follow in June and adoption in July. Finance said it will also begin monthly budget reporting and pursue a December budget clean‑up in future years to identify problems earlier.
Ending
Trustees asked administration to provide more detail on several topics at an upcoming meeting — specifically the status of psychologist hires, the effect of recent contract changes (for example, a subs conversion to an outside provider), and a clearer accounting of where savings and one‑time purchases were identified. Administration committed to a May revision and monthly reports going forward.
