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Red Wing board approves budget reductions, limits fund-balance use to $1 million
Summary
After a lengthy debate over class sizes and program cuts, the Red Wing Public Schools board approved proposed FY26 reductions while preserving two Burnside teaching positions and authorizing up to $1,000,000 from the fund balance to balance the budget.
The Red Wing Public Schools Board of Education voted to adopt a package of proposed budget reductions for fiscal 2026 while authorizing the district to use up to $1,000,000 from its fund balance to close a continuing shortfall.
Board members spent more than an hour questioning the plan after Superintendent Rhonda Greaser presented preliminary figures showing a roughly $1.7 million projected deficit and a set of principal-recommended reductions that would generate about $872,000 in savings. Under the adopted motion the board retained two licensed positions at Burnside Elementary and instructed the superintendent to pursue additional reductions or revenue options where feasible.
Emily, a district administrator who outlined high-school impacts during the discussion, told the board, “It’s really hard to find where we can find the money right now,” reflecting concerns that further staffing cuts would eliminate elective and unique programming at the high school. Board members warned that increases in elementary class sizes — with some grades projected to rise into the mid-to-high 20s — could harm early reading instruction and students with individualized education programs.
The motion approved language to implement proposed reductions while capping fund-balance use at $1,000,000 for FY26. Board discussion cited trade-offs between retaining instructional staff at elementary sites and protecting extracurricular and elective offerings at the high school. The board directed staff to bring more detailed scenarios to a forthcoming workshop and to continue seeking compensatory revenue and other solutions.
Votes at a glance: the board approved the consent agenda, accepted listed donations and grants, approved a Safe Routes to School resolution to accept grant paperwork and funding for adaptive tricycles, and passed the budget-reduction motion with the fund-balance cap. Specific roll-call tallies were recorded as voice votes during the meeting.
