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CFO: FY25 books closed; ESSER funds exhausted, transportation and facilities pressure budgets
Summary
The district's finance director told the board the fiscal 2025 books closed with 99.5% spent, carryforward of roughly $4.4 million, and that ESSER (COVID) funds are exhausted. He highlighted increased costs for transportation, facilities and supplies and noted labor negotiations will add budget pressure this year.
The Lawrence Public Schools finance team reported on the district's fiscal position, telling the Alliance board on Oct. 8 that fiscal year 2025 closed with near-full spend and that federal COVID-era (ESSER) funds have been exhausted.
CFO Gabriel Cabrera said the district was allocated $278.4 million for FY25 and finished the year having spent about 99.5% of its revised budget after a roughly $4.4 million carryforward. Cabrera highlighted improvements in staffing, accounts payable timeliness and targeted end-of-year spending.
Cabrera warned that the loss of ESSER funding (previously used for transportation and facilities projects) and rising costs for contracted transportation, utilities and educational supplies are creating fiscal pressure. He said the district used approximately $9 million from ESSER for transportation in a single year and roughly $34 million on facilities work; those one-time federal dollars are no longer available. "That money is gone," Cabrera said, and the district must plan for higher recurring costs.
The CFO said five bargaining units remain in active negotiations (including teachers and clerical and custodial staff) and that settlements will affect near-term budgets. He reported the FY26 revised budget is about $306.5 million and said staff will present quarterly updates and work with the board's budget subcommittee to monitor spending and negotiations.
Board members asked about staffing levels and newly funded positions; staff said vacancies have declined from several hundred to roughly 80 current teacher vacancies, with fewer true long-term vacancies after a targeted cleanup of stale job listings. The finance office will provide regular monthly and quarterly financial reports to the board and subcommittee.
