Annandale board hears midyear budget and negotiations update; mediation set for March 10 if needed

District administrators told the board the district is tracking enrollment weekly and reported a current head count of about 1,930 students. Administrators said a late set of state and federal funding changes — including a compensatory change of roughly $70,000 and an $83,000 loss in Title funding tied to a federal census recalculation — altered earlier budget assumptions and left the district forecasting a deficit.

Rick, the district finance representative, gave a midyear budget update: beginning balances were adjusted after the annual audit and the general fund is now projected to show a $197,000 shortfall, larger than the $181,000 the board had budgeted at the start of the year. Rick attributed much of the change to a drop in special-education funding.

Administrators summarized the negotiation timeline and offers exchanged with the teachers’ group. The district’s initial total-cost offer was $538,000. The teachers countered with a proposal that administrators recorded as totaling about $1,150,000. The district responded with a $611,000 counter-offer. Later negotiation discussion included proposals with step and lane changes and a family insurance contribution; a subsequent teachers' package was described in the record as producing a district cost estimate of about $1,060,000. Board representatives said they paused bargaining because the sides remained apart and noted a mediation date of March 10 if an agreement is not reached earlier.

Board members asked questions about budgeting assumptions and emphasized that timely state action on new mandates would help districts plan. The board did not take action on the negotiations at the meeting; members said they will continue discussions and hope to avoid reductions to programs and staff.