Stewartville school board approves budget alignments, new open‑enrollment bus fee and staffing reductions

The Stewartville Public School District Board of Education approved a package of budget alignments Wednesday that district leaders said are needed to close a projected fiscal shortfall. The board approved Tier 1 recommendations and a modified Tier 2 package — including a $1‑per‑day open‑enrollment bus fee with a sliding scale for families who qualify for free or reduced‑price meals — by voice vote, 7–0.

District administrators told the board the alignments respond to declining enrollment, rising labor and operating costs and a series of unfunded mandates. "Financially, ignoring this is not an option because of the detriment that it would cause to the school's budget and the position that we would be in next year," a district administrator said during the presentation.

The board received three tiers of reductions. Without alignments, the district projected fiscal‑year 2026 expenditures would exceed revenues by about $857,000 and the unassigned fund balance would fall to about $1.65 million (5.84%). Tier 1 alignments of roughly $820,000 would reduce the gap to about $37,000 and leave the unassigned fund balance near 9 percent. The combination the board approved — Tier 1 plus a modified Tier 2 that drops one proposed class‑size cut — totals approximately $849,684, the administration said.

Major Tier 1 and Tier 2 items the board discussed include discontinuing elementary and middle school summer school programs, ending some contracted custodial services and reducing or absorbing several instructional and support positions. Specific proposals discussed by the board and presented by the administration included:

- Removing a contracted custodial service (Arnold's) and shifting cleaning duties to district staff (estimated savings ~ $70,000 for that contract). - Eliminating a permanent higher‑rate substitute contract and hiring daily subs at the regular rate (about $13,000 savings). - Reducing or absorbing roughly 3 paraprofessional FTEs and one administrative assistant FTE; reassigning some district staff costs to Community Education where appropriate. - Ending the district‑paid ACT fee for students not eligible for educational benefits (estimated savings ~ $4,500) and increasing high school activity fees by $10 (estimated revenue ~ $7,800). - Discontinuing the one‑act play (approx. $3,500) and the district gymnastics program (approx. $20,000) as potential Tier 1 program reductions; the board discussed alternatives such as pursuing co‑op arrangements if the gymnastics program is discontinued.

Board and finance committee members said they weighed program impacts, scheduling challenges and classroom size tradeoffs. The administration presented projected class sizes under the Tier 1 plan that would reduce several lower‑grade sections (for example, kindergarten and second grade sections from seven to six at Bonner). Middle‑school and high‑school sections in some subjects would grow into the low‑to‑mid‑30s under the proposal.

The board also voted separately to adopt resolutions tied to the alignments: it authorized limiting open enrollment for specific grade levels that have reached capacity and approved multiple resolutions to nonrenew or discontinue positions as required by district policy and contract timelines. Each of those individual resolutions was approved by the board with recorded votes that were unanimous, 7–0.

In closing, the board emphasized the decisions were difficult and that administration would follow contractual processes for staff notice and assignment changes. The administration said it will monitor enrollment closely, implement the approved alignments, and bring forward required resolutions (nonrenewals/discontinuances) and staffing assignments before contract deadlines.

Votes at a glance

- Budget alignments (Tier 1 + modified Tier 2 including $1/day open‑enrollment transportation fee with sliding scale; delete proposed 4th‑grade section cut): approved, voice vote 7–0. - Resolution to limit open enrollment for identified grades: approved, 7–0. - A series of individual nonrenewal and discontinuation resolutions (listed below in Actions): each approved by the board, 7–0.

The board said it would continue to review the fiscal outlook and consider additional options if revenue or enrollment assumptions change.