Platte County School District #1 adopts FY2026 budget amid questions over state funding calculations

The Platte County School District #1 board on Thursday approved its FY2026 budget after a budget hearing in which district staff raised questions about how the state calculated entitlement funding this year. Trustee Speaker 3 moved to adopt the budget resolution, and the motion passed by voice vote.

District presenter Speaker 8 led trustees through the proposed budget, citing Wyoming state statute 16 4 1 20 for accounting requirements and describing the budget’s five funds: general, capital construction, enterprise, custodial and special revenue. Speaker 8 said the district is presenting a balanced budget for FY2026, and that the proposal includes salary-step and lane adjustments, additional staffing and an increase in administrative and utilities costs. “This year, we're anticipating 22.2,” Speaker 8 said when discussing expenditures for the coming year and said the district expects a healthy cash carryover around $4,600,000.

Speaker 8 repeatedly flagged uncertainty about a recently released state funding model and how the Wyoming Department of Education is counting Average Daily Membership (ADM). “Currently, our charter school is being calculated with Platte County School District, and we feel like that they should be counted separately as a separate LEA,” Speaker 8 said, arguing that the charter’s rising ADM is reducing the district’s calculated ADM and creating a funding “cliff.” Speaker 7 said the numbers recently changed from an anticipated reduction to an unexpected increase and recommended safeguards so the district does not spend disputed dollars before the state clarifies allocations.

The presentation detailed major maintenance plans — including a completed gym-floor project, planned high‑school bleacher installation, a district rekey project and several HVAC and roofing-related repair retainage items — and outlined the district’s use of federal grant carryovers (Title II and Title IV) through the next fiscal cycle. Speaker 8 noted the district will transfer funds through custodial accounts to make charter pass-through payments as required by state procedures.

After discussion, the board approved the FY2026 resolution for budget adoption. The board also recessed to and reconvened from a budget hearing as part of the process.

Next steps: the budget was adopted by resolution in the meeting and will be implemented under the district’s routine appropriation procedures; Speaker 8 noted allocations remain subject to change pending state guidance on the funding model.