Adams 12 superintendent warns of budget pressure, flags possible elimination of 11 elementary teaching positions
Loading...
Summary
Superintendent Chris told the board that statewide enrollment declines and funding timing create uncertainty for next year’s budget; he said an early estimate would eliminate 11 elementary classroom teacher positions and pledged more granular recommendations in March.
Superintendent Chris told the Adams 12 Five Star Schools board on Tuesday that the district faces persistent budget uncertainty driven by statewide enrollment declines and the timing of state funding, and that staff are preparing difficult staffing recommendations for the 2026–27 school year.
"An early estimate is, given the declines in enrollment we've seen, that we can and should eliminate 11 classroom teachers at the elementary level for next year," Superintendent Chris said, framing the number as an initial estimate that will be refined as enrollment data are finalized.
Why it matters: the district must adopt a balanced budget by June 30, and staff said they often do not have full clarity on state funding until mid-April to early May. The district expects to receive $39,420,000 in additional operating funds from passage of ballot measure 5B, but that new revenue will not entirely offset declines tied to lower enrollment and projected midyear costs such as health insurance increases.
Finance staff presented the monitoring report for the period ending Dec. 31, 2025. Gina summarized cash and reserve positions, saying the district's unassigned fund balance forecast was roughly $24,800,000 and that the district's average monthly operating expenditures were about $50,000,000. She also reported bond spending through Dec. 31 totaled $36,700,000, of which $12,400,000 was allocated to charter schools.
Board members and staff emphasized the timing challenge: compensation decisions and school allocation notices often must be prepared in March even though the legislature and the Joint Budget Committee may not finalize funding until weeks later. Superintendent Chris said staff will provide "more granular insights" in the weeks ahead and will communicate recommended school-level allocations in early-to-mid March while the formal budget adoption remains on track for June.
What’s next: the board acknowledged the monitoring report and directed staff to return with detailed staffing and budget recommendations. Superintendent Chris and staff said they will continue analysis, share draft allocations with the board, and bring a final budget for adoption by the June 30 deadline.
