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Shawnee Mission reports 250-student dip; district estimates $2.4 million revenue shortfall
Summary
Finance staff told the board the district’s September count shows about 250 fewer students and a weighted FTE decline that will reduce general state aid by roughly $1.8 million and local option budget revenue by about $600,000, for a projected $2.4 million hit this year.
At its Nov. 3 meeting, Shawnee Mission School District officials told the board that the September 20 official enrollment count showed about 250 fewer students than a year earlier and that weighted full‑time‑equivalent (FTE) calculations would reduce revenue.
Mr. Knapp, presenting the board financial report, said the district’s weighted FTE is down by hundreds of seats and that general state aid is now projected to be about $1.8 million less than budgeted; local option budget (LOB) receipts are estimated about $600,000 below budget, for a combined shortfall of about $2.4 million in the current year.
Board members asked whether the decline matched earlier expectations and where students were going. Finance staff said losses were concentrated at several Title I elementary schools; anecdotal reasons cited by principals included cost of living pressures and some families leaving the county or shifting to private schools. “Our surrounding districts are also down,” one staff member said, and the district continues to monitor whether enrollment rebounds before next year’s budgeting cycle.
The presenters noted the official enrollment submission is subject to an audit in January and that the district uses the higher of prior‑year or current‑year counts for some funding calculations, which mitigates immediate impact for the 2025–26 fiscal year but will influence the 2026–27 budget baseline.
District leaders said they will continue to monitor headcount and weighted FTEs, review staffing and resource allocations during the November budget development kickoff, and bring budget proposals to the board in spring. No formal budget cuts or staffing actions were proposed at the meeting.
Next steps: administration will continue enrollment monitoring, prepare budget scenarios reflecting the revenue decline, and present recommendation(s) during the district’s budget process in April–May.
