Finance director: district meets K–3 compliance, enrollment dipped and electric buses remain costly and infrastructure-limited

Executive Director of Business and Finance Lydia Seli told the board the district’s state reporting shows it meets K–3 compliance at an average class size of 16.96, which will increase the district’s funding beginning next month.

Seli noted transportation costs, especially fuel, are a significant concern. She explained changes to the state funding model (longer depreciation schedules) and recent reductions in state allocations for electric-vehicle depreciation mean the state will fund electric buses at a lower level for the next two years. Seli said a large electric bus can cost about $350,000–$400,000 and currently available vehicles take roughly 13 hours to fully charge, and the district lacks local charging infrastructure. Those factors, she said, make immediate electrification cost-prohibitive; the district is pursuing grants but is not in a region that typically receives that funding.

On enrollment, Seli reported a net decline of 89 students between January and February with variation across grade levels and schools; the district observed some increases in ALE (alternative learning/e-learning) enrollment and is reviewing school-level data to identify drivers of change. Board members asked whether shifts in out-of-district enrollment or ALE accounted for the drop; Seli said ALE counts are netted in the district total and can offset in-person decreases.

Seli warned the district is watching fund-balance trends and will continue to report on enrollment and transportation costs as budget assumptions evolve.