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District budget overview: $186M budget, enrollment decline and reliance on MIPS highlighted
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Daniel Bryan told the board the district’s $186 million budget is about 86% salaries/benefits, noted a carryforward of roughly $19 million, a MIPS cash balance around $10 million and projected a possible FY26 enrollment decline of ~650 students (roughly $4.5 million impact).
Assistant Superintendent Daniel (Danny) Bryan presented a budget overview Nov. 20 that framed Washington Elementary School District’s fiscal position amid declining enrollment.
Bryan said the district’s maintenance and operations (M&O) and district additional assistance (DAA) are the primary revenue buckets, and he estimated a roughly $186 million overall budget with about 86% devoted to salaries and benefits. He said carryover at the start of the fiscal year was about $19 million and that the district’s MIPS (Medicaid in Public Schools) cash balance was approximately $10 million; indirect-cost cash was estimated at about $5.2 million.
On enrollment, Bryan projected a FY26 decrease of about 650 students from current enrollment snapshots — a decline he estimated would represent roughly $4.5 million in revenue. He stressed that enrollments fluctuate daily and that every 100-student decline translates to about $700,000 in lost funding. Bryan also noted that some funding streams (ESSER, other one-time federal funds) are no longer available and that MIPS and other federal/state sources can fluctuate with policy and rate changes.
Board members pressed for clarifications: Vice President Lindsey Peterson asked whether a $2.5 million SPED cost increase figure was a three-year total (Bryan confirmed it was over three years) and questioned continued use of MIPS for one-time stipends. Board member Bill Adams asked about commingling fund balances; Bryan said some transfers are possible but must follow accounting rules. The board and administration discussed the need to prioritize classroom spending and to pursue enrollment stabilization work before considering cuts.
Bryan said the district will present a revised budget at the December board meeting. He warned that continued enrollment losses and rising fixed costs (utilities, insurance) could reduce carryover substantially and that the district is monitoring state funding and federal program changes closely.
