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Superintendent asks board to fund reserve and $250,000 grant-match to boost rural school services
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Summary
The superintendent of schools told the Coconino County Board of Supervisors the FY27 budget includes a 5% CPI, $3,000 recurring teacher-of-the-year funding and a proposed $500,000 accommodation-district reserve; the office asked the board to approve a $250,000 match to help compete for grants that would expand literacy, mental-health and rural services.
The superintendent of schools presented the office’s FY27 budget request and urged the Board of Supervisors to back a mix of recurring support and a one-time match to make the county more competitive for outside grants.
The presentation, delivered at the board’s April 27 budget session, detailed recommended inclusions: a 5% cost-of-living adjustment for staff, a $3,000 recurring teacher-of-the-year stipend and a $500,000 reserve for the accommodation district that would be governed by an intergovernmental agreement to be drafted and approved by the superintendent and the board. The budget documents shown to the board also separate items that are not recommended for general-fund support.
The superintendent’s office described three divisions covered by the request — constitutional fiscal, innovation & development (I&D), and the accommodation district — and gave division-level figures: expenditures roughly $836,000 for fiscal, $1,339,000 for I&D and $2,235,000 for the accommodation district. Revenue lines shown included $424,000 for fiscal, about $1,234,000 for I&D and $3,482,000 for the accommodation district. Presenters said the I&D forecast relies heavily on grants and fee-for-service funding.
A major item is a $250,000 match the superintendent asked the board to provide to enable the office to compete for larger grants. “This simply allows us to compete at a higher level and bring in significantly more resources to support literacy, mental health and school support resources,” the superintendent’s team said. Board members pressed on the mechanics of matches and whether match funds are typically cash or in-kind; the county’s finance office reminded supervisors that matches can be cash, in-kind or existing staff time and that any grant requiring a county cash match must be approved by the board before application.
Supervisors asked for clarifications on enrollment and funding impacts. The superintendent’s team reported the highest ADM in the accommodation schools this year was 179 students and that Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding and recently released SRS dollars had materially improved the office’s capacity to sustain programs. The superintendent also noted continuing uncertainty about state facilities funding and punitive legislative proposals that could alter local board authority.
What’s next: the superintendent said the county and the elected superintendent will negotiate an IGA describing terms for the accommodation-district reserve fund and return to the board in time for budget adoption so the fund’s uses are clear by July 1.
