Superintendent reviews FY26 budget issues: possible bus CIP shift, travel reimbursements and reading tutor apprenticeship

Superintendent Dr. Damon Stein and central finance staff briefed the Washington County Public School Board on Feb. 4 about several FY26 budget topics, including a potential county‑level shift of bus replacement funding to the capital improvement plan (CIP), district travel reimbursements, positions added to the general fund and the status of the reading tutor apprenticeship program.

Stein said the county administrator suggested the district could shift roughly $2 million for replacement school buses from the general fund to the CIP, with the county willing to support that reallocation if the district targeted the freed general‑fund dollars toward salary initiatives. ‘‘That will be a decision of the Board of Education,’’ Stein said, and he asked board members to consider long‑term implications because CIP funds are typically one‑time and could create a recurring gap if county support did not continue.

Chief Financial Officer Cameron Proulx (presented slides) summarized travel reimbursements and staffing changes. Proulx said reimbursement data for FY23–FY24 show around $152,000 was paid in travel reimbursements (he noted expense coding overlaps and that the figure mixes conference travel and mileage). A board member calculated roughly 218,000 miles reimbursed across the district and asked the policy committee to review travel policy and vehicle fleet options.

Proulx outlined recent staffing additions: nine positions were added at the Center for Education Services over the prior two fiscal years; across the general fund, 41 positions that originated in grants were brought into the general fund during the last two budget cycles (with some positions, such as the blueprint coordinator and the CTE apprenticeship coordinator, moving from grants to central funding). He identified areas where reductions would be difficult without disrupting services—special education coordinators, safety and security staff and apprenticeship program staff were singled out.

On multilingual students, Proulx reported 1,247 students classified as multilingual as of Jan. 29, 2025, an increase since October. The majority are K–5. The most common home language is Spanish (more than 1,000 households), and Proulx noted about one‑third of multilingual students are U.S.‑born children who live in Spanish‑speaking households.

Stein also discussed the reading tutor apprenticeship program, now completing a third year and costing about $330,000 in FY25. The program began with grants and state one‑time funds; Stein said the district is seeking grant dollars to sustain and expand it because demand exceeds current capacity. If grants are unavailable, he said the superintendent would recommend adding the program to the general fund, subject to board approval.

Board members raised questions about long‑term sustainability, the prudence of using CIP one‑time funds to backfill recurring salary costs and the choice between part‑time and full‑time specialists. The board asked the policy committee to review reimbursement rules and asked central staff for additional detail about grants that currently fund positions and the likely expiration risk.

No formal board budget decisions were taken at the meeting; staff said they would bring follow‑up analyses and policy recommendations to upcoming committee meetings.