Parkway board hears budget task force warning, approves new early‑childhood site name

The Parkway Board of Education on Jan. 14 received a firm warning from a district budget task force that a combination of revenue constraints and rising benefit costs could push the district toward deficit budgeting unless leaders "protect our fund balance," Superintendent Dr. Morissa Schneider said.

The task force — a group of roughly 30 staff and employee‑group representatives convened over six sessions — recommended four priorities: maintain a 40 to 45 percent operating fund balance, stabilize health‑care costs, seek creative offsets for projected revenue losses and engage the public with a validated community survey as the district designs next year’s budget.

"Please protect our fund balance," Dr. Morissa Schneider said while presenting the task force’s conclusions and recommendations. The group presented scenario work showing the district’s fiscal picture, asked the board to preserve reserves to avoid short‑term borrowing, and outlined steps to reduce the chance of returning to tax‑anticipation notes.

CFO Ca…