Board approves FY26 budget amendment; insurance proceeds to replenish contingency

Saint Louis Public Schools presented and the board approved a fiscal year 2026 budget amendment at the Dec. 9 work session that increases projected revenues by roughly $1.7 million and adjusts contingency planning for storm-related expenses.

Chief Johnson explained the revenue increase came chiefly from an Ashland storm-recovery insurance payout of $1,500,000 and additional insurance reimbursement of about $220,000. With those additions, the district’s revised budget figure was described as $341,000,000 (up from a $339,000,000 baseline presented earlier), while projected expenditures remained unchanged at $371,000,000. Chief Johnson said that using the insurance proceeds to replenish contingency funds used to cover tornado recovery costs preserves contingency capacity for other emergencies.

The presentation included estimates of fund-balance projections and a contingency budget of $8,400,000. Staff said further amendments will be presented in February and April as revenue and expenditures are monitored through audit timelines and recovery work.

A motion to approve the FY26 budget amendment was moved (speaker 5), seconded (speaker 8) and approved by roll call. The board discussed how received insurance proceeds will initially go to replenish contingency funds for unplanned tornado-related expenses and support ongoing reopening work and recovery efforts.

Next steps: staff said further budget amendments will be brought to the board in February and April 2026 as the district continues to monitor post-tornado costs and insurance recoveries.