Woodburn SD business office projects lower year‑end fund balance; staffing remains largest cost
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Summary
Business office director Sarah Bishop told the board the district projects an ending fund balance of $11.9 million (down from $15.3 million) and reviewed cash‑flow details as the district enters budget season; board members emphasized staffing and enrollment as key budget drivers.
Sarah Bishop, the district’s business office representative, told the Woodburn School District Board of Directors that the district is projecting a lower year‑end fund balance as it heads into budget season.
"Beginning fund balance is $15,304,000," Bishop said while walking the board through the monthly financial statements, and she later cited a projected ending fund balance of $11,900,000. Bishop reported year‑to‑date actual revenue of about $77,717,780 and actual year‑to‑date expenditures of about $42,750,000, which leaves roughly $34,900,000 in cash on hand as of the report. She also described projected annual revenue of about $102,000,000 and noted those figures produce an estimated $3.39 million decrease in fund balance compared with the start of the fiscal year.
Why it matters: board members and staff said these numbers frame decisions for the coming budget cycle. Bishop told trustees that staffing represents nearly 80% of the district’s general fund and must be the primary focus when looking for savings or reallocations.
Board members asked for clarifications about what is included in the general fund totals and whether specific capital items (for example, roof repairs) were reflected. Bishop said capital projects such as major maintenance and roof work are handled in the district’s maintenance funds and are not included in the general operating fund figures she reviewed.
Bishop outlined basic cash‑flow concepts for trustees who requested guidance and showed how accounts receivable and projected expenditures are captured on the balance sheet. She listed accounts receivable (projected revenue) of about $24,970,000 and projected accounts‑payable/expenditures through year‑end of about $48,000,000.
Several trustees asked what items the board should monitor going into budget season. Bishop recommended attention to the State School Fund and enrollment trends, noting that per‑pupil counts drive significant revenue and that staff costs are the largest and most sensitive budget line. She also explained that substitute teacher expenditures are administered through the ESD (educational service district) and therefore do not always appear in the district’s monthly general fund statements.
What’s next: the board scheduled a budget committee training and listening session on March 3 and flagged the district’s annual budget process as the priority item in upcoming meetings.
Quote: "So at the end of the year, we're estimated to have $11,900,000 on hand, which is a decrease of $3,390,000 over beginning cash," Bishop said.
Clarifying details: Bishop said the $11.9 million is a projected ending fund balance for the general fund, not including some major maintenance reserves; the district’s beginning fund balance number cited was $15,304,000, and the report listed about $77.7 million in revenue received to date and about $42.75 million in year‑to‑date expenditures.
The board did not take a formal budget vote at the meeting; the budget calendar and a budget committee appointment were on the agenda and the board will continue the budget conversation at the March 3 session.
