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Oak Grove trustees approve 2024-25 audited actuals after budget briefing as teachers press for raises
Summary
Trustees approved the district's 2024-25 audited actuals after Associate Superintendent Mark Evans detailed an "unaudited actuals" close that showed roughly $35 million in ending fund balance, most of it restricted; several teachers urged a 6% salary increase and better health benefits during public comment.
The Oak Grove School District Board of Trustees on Sept. 11 approved the district's 2024-25 annual financial report and audited actuals after an extended presentation on fund balances and program restrictions.
Associate Superintendent Mark Evans told the board the district closed the year with about $35,000,000 in ending fund balance, of which roughly $24,000,000 is restricted and just under $11,000,000 was unrestricted. "Most of that is restricted funds," Evans said, adding that required reserves and forward-funded grants reduce the amount available for ongoing obligations.
Why it matters: Board members and staff said the restricted nature of many funds, plus one-time revenues that are near exhaustion, limit the district's ability to sustain recurring salary increases without cuts elsewhere. Evans said a one-time increase could be absorbed but a sustained 6% raise would require program reductions or other structural changes; a fiscal solvency plan will be presented to the board later this year.
Public comment at the meeting focused on teacher pay and benefits. Rob O'Connell, a Gates Elementary teacher, described rising household costs and health insurance premiums, saying the district's staff "deserve a 6% raise, an additional increase in the following 2 years," language he said was part of ongoing negotiations. Brenda Jewell, identified in public comment as a teacher at Oak Ridge, told the board "it's time to use our outside voices" to push for compensation that lets educators afford to live in the community.
The board's action: After the presentation and limited board discussion, the president moved to approve the audited actuals as presented. The motion was seconded and the board carried the motion; minutes indicate the motion "carries." The transcript does not include a full roll-call tally in the record provided.
Financial specifics discussed: Evans walked the board through major restricted accounts that reduce available ongoing dollars, including extended learning opportunities funding, educator effectiveness grants, and Prop. 28 arts funding (which the district receives in forward-funded installments). He also described Fund 40 (capital outlay from property sales) as a strategic, one-time source the district has used to offset shortfalls.
Next steps: Evans said the district's budget advisory committee is drafting recommendations and that the board will receive a fiscal solvency plan in November and again in December, when the first interim report is filed.
The board adjourned at 8:22 p.m.; trustees scheduled the next regular meeting for Oct. 16, 2025, at Davis Intermediate School.
