District 196 presents first reading of $906 million final budget; approval expected in January
Summary
Finance staff presented a first reading of the district’s final 2025–26 budget, citing October 1 enrollment of 28,934, total revenues of $706 million and expenditures of $906 million; no action was requested and the board will consider approval Jan. 12.
District finance staff presented the first reading of the final 2025–26 budget, outlining enrollment, revenue and expenditure assumptions and highlighting key funds and construction activity.
Danny Duchene, coordinator of finance, said the final budget is driven by an October 1 enrollment count of 28,934 students and includes more than 4,000 budgeted FTEs. The district’s final-budget figures presented to the board showed total revenues of $706,000,000 and total expenditures of $906,000,000. The general fund figures cited were roughly $526,000,000 in revenues and $536,000,000 in expenditures. Duchene said the building construction program will be active in 2025–26, with $206,000,000 in planned construction expenses tied to the May 2023 bond referendum and a tentative second bond issuance planned for the upcoming fiscal year.
Duchene described drivers that typically move a preliminary budget to a final budget: finalized employee contract settlements (noting two large groups settled since the preliminary budget), finalized enrollment counts, conservative revenue projections, and school carryover funds that are expended in the final budget. He also reviewed the nutrition services fund (projected $24,000,000 revenue vs. $28,000,000 expenses) and internal service funds such as health insurance.
Board members asked for clarification about what shifted between the preliminary and final budgets; finance staff reiterated the three main drivers: salaries/settlements, enrollment, and carryover. The district will return with a recommendation for approval at the Jan. 12 board meeting.
No board action occurred on the budget at this meeting.
