District 5 approves $1.45M in fund-balance assignments for tutoring, behavior coaches and cybersecurity
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Summary
After debate about process and whether a public budget hearing was required, the School District 5 board approved assignments from fund balance totaling about $1.45 million to fund tier-2 tutoring supplements, eight behavioral expectation coaches, and cybersecurity/technology needs for the remainder of the fiscal year.
The School District 5 Board of Trustees on Jan. 12 approved proposed assignments of roughly $1.45 million from the district's fund balance to support tutoring, behavioral supports and cybersecurity for the remainder of fiscal 2026.
Chief Financial Officer Heather Tucker told trustees these allocations are intended to be one-time, assigned fund-balance expenditures so programs can start immediately while administration refines offsets for the year. "So we would be asking that the board approve this $1,400,000 so we could assign that fund balance to these programs for the remainder of this year," Tucker said.
The vote followed extended debate over whether the action required a first and second reading and a public budget workshop. Some trustees argued the request effectively changes the district's expense budget and therefore should follow the multi-reading process and public-notice steps typically used for budget amendments. Others — including administration and trustees who supported the motion — said the board frequently assigns fund-balance amounts and that these items were time-sensitive.
Trustees discussed how the assignments would be implemented: administration described hiring time-limited positions and paying stipends for tutors, with the goal of identifying offsets in the current budget and ensuring the district does not exceed its $250 million top-line budget. "We would be asking for temporary positions… This gets us through the year," Dr. Ross said during the discussion.
After amendments and debate, the board approved the general fund amendments by a 5-to-2 vote. The approved package included funds targeted to tier-2 academic interventions (tutoring across grades), eight behavioral/expectation coaches and a cybersecurity/technology position.
Board members asked administration to track the positions as time-limited and report back during the budget cycle on whether the positions will be continued and how they will be funded in the next fiscal year.
The motion passed 5–2. Administration said it will look for expenditure offsets within the current budget and will bring any recurring proposals through the normal first/second reading and public hearing processes during the spring budget calendar.