Annandale board approves 2025-26 budget adjustments after community donations save several positions

The Annandale Public School District board voted to approve 2025-26 budget adjustments and formally accept donor contributions on Monday, actions the district said will reduce some staffing cuts planned for next year.

Board members and administrators said community fundraising and internal reallocation choices allowed the district to remove several items from a list of proposed reductions. The district reported $101,327 raised through a community campaign called Cardinals Rising; the transcript records reductions on the district's list totaling $974,166.

District staff presented an itemized list that included revenue, reallocations and reductions for board approval. The district described the top portion of the list as containing revenue and reallocations and said the reductions portion totaled $974,166; the exact total for revenue and reallocations was not specified in the meeting transcript.

Board members said money raised by Cardinals Rising directly affected staffing decisions. The transcript shows the district removed an elementary student support services specialist, a fourth-grade teacher reduction and a proposed high school teacher restructuring from the reduction list following those donations and other budget changes. The board adopted the budget adjustments and reductions by motion; individual roll-call vote tallies were not specified in the record.

Cardinals Rising representative Alyssa Radowitz Stammagala spoke during public comment and thanked the board and administration for their work and donors for raising more than $100,000. "Thank you to the board for your support. Thank you to the administration for your guidance, and thank you to those who have donated over a $100,000 to help us bridge this gap," she told the board.

A second speaker, Kyle Rudningen, identified himself as a community member and former student who returned to practice in Annandale, described concerns about program cuts and school facilities, and urged continued community support. He said some advanced classes had been reduced and raised concerns about building maintenance, including the district's track condition.

Board discussion emphasized that the district will continue to consider donations that arrive before the Cardinals Rising fundraising deadline and said the board will revisit positions if additional funds are received. Board members also reiterated that the budget decisions were difficult and the board weighed options across revenue, reallocations and reductions.

Other routine items on the meeting agenda ' including approval of the consent agenda, the 2025-26 school board schedule and several personnel work assignments ' were approved by motion. The transcript records the motions passing with "motion carries" but does not include individual vote breakdowns.

The board also noted that some donated funds reported on the district donation list were physical checks already received; donations made through third-party fundraisers such as GoFundMe were being processed and may appear on future donation lists once received by the district.

The board did not adopt any new levies or bonds at the meeting. A board member clarified that an operating referendum approved in February 2019 for $79 (the amount cited during the meeting) remains in effect and that timing constraints prevented the district from immediately pursuing a separate operating levy after a recent failed bond effort.

The district said it will continue to monitor donations, grants and other funding opportunities and that any future funds will be considered for restoring positions or other needs as they become available.