Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Central SD 13J budget committee warns of tight 2026–27 budget as enrollment falls and special-education costs climb
Summary
Superintendent Jennifer Kavista and finance staff told the budget committee that Central School District 13J’s enrollment is declining faster than the state average and that rising costs for special-education and flat federal grants leave the district with a narrow projected increase in state funds for 2026–27; staff described hiring freezes, contingency targets and next steps for the budget process.
The Central School District 13J budget committee heard a detailed budget message from Superintendent Jennifer Kavista and the district’s finance director on fiscal pressures heading into the 2026–27 school year. Kavista said enrollment stood at 2,881 as of April 24, a decline steeper than statewide trends, and that the district’s portion of the state school fund is shrinking as enrollment falls.
Kavista read the district’s budget message and framed enrollment as the primary driver of funding, noting that the state school fund provides roughly $11,000 per student as a base amount and that losing 100 students can reduce the general fund by approximately $1.1 million. She said the most recent state estimate for Central’s 2026–27 school-year allocation showed a 1.37% increase — a figure the district interprets as effectively flat when set against rising costs.
Finance director (identified in the meeting as…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
