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Upper Adams SD previews 2025–26 budget; officials warn limited state gains and charter costs loom
Summary
District administrators presented a preliminary 2025—26 budget snapshot showing a projected ~5% increase in expenses and roughly $30 million in proposed expenditures, with board staff flagging modest state funding projections and high charter-school costs that could affect the final budget; timeline calls for preliminary approval May 20 and final approval June 17.
District finance and administrative staff presented a high-level preview of the Upper Adams SD proposed 2025—26 budget and described next steps in the approval process.
Speaker 1 summarized assumptions driving the budget: salary and benefits updates, recent enrollment trends (including kindergarten registration), placeholders for special-education placements that will not be finalized until April or May, and ongoing review of operating contracts. She said the district will not count on a large state increase and therefore did not build a $200,000 baseline revenue increase into the preliminary revenue side.
The presenter highlighted proposed impact items totaling about $135,000 (summer enrichment at Villaville Elementary $25,000; moving a speech pathologist from contractor to district employee; adding assistant coaches and girls wrestling; security upgrades and crossing-guard costs). The budget as shown included a planned 5% increase in health-care premiums for employees and $350,000 in an assigned medical fund with a $125,000 district contribution to smooth future claims.
Speaker 3 (identified in the transcript as 'Mister Walmart') recapped donations and other finance items separately: donations included $3,000 from the American Legion and $5,200 from Upper Adams JC plus two anonymous donations ($500 and $250) for a girls' basketball charter bus; the board will consider Transfinder routing software updates and seek bids for an RLPS window-replacement project (construction estimate $392,650 and an architect lump-sum fee of $29,500).
Speaker 1 said the budget includes an approved iPad purchase (listed as $743,000) and that projected expenses in the draft are just over $30,000,000; she emphasized much of the budget is contractual and that only a small percentage can be tweaked.
The presentation included discussion of charter-school costs: the presenter said a governor's proposal to cap charter tuition at $8,000 per student could save the district between $200,000 and $300,000; by contrast, current cyber charter per-pupil payments cited in the presentation were roughly $14,000 per regular-education cyber charter student and $33,000–$35,000 for special-education students. Speaker 1 noted a $70,000 state reimbursement for charter students included in the current year would not be present in the proposed 2025—26 governor's budget.
Next steps: staff will continue revenue projections in April, aim to present a preliminary budget for board approval on May 20, and finalize the 2025—26 budget by the June board meeting (June 17). The presentation included multiple placeholders pending final state guidance and special-education placement data.
