Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
St. Croy board outlines $700,000 in cuts and staffing moves in preliminary 2026–27 budget
Summary
District administrators told the board they face roughly $700,000 in expenditure reductions to balance a preliminary 2026–27 budget, proposing about 2.75 FTE reductions, moving middle‑school athletics to a community fund and reducing HSA benefits to preserve a 2.63% wage increase.
District administrators presented a preliminary budget for 2026–27 that trims about $700,000 in expenditures and remains about $12,000 short in the board’s model, officials said.
Administrators described continuing enrollment declines—using a three‑year rolling average that would lower full‑time equivalent (FTE) counts to about 1,566—and noted that the district will not receive a one‑year declining‑enrollment exemption next year. The presentation assumes a $325 per‑pupil increase and the district’s ongoing $375,000 operational levy; together those revenue items will raise the district’s per‑pupil revenue base closer to $12,930 under current projections.
To close the gap, the administration proposed a package of changes that includes about 2.75 FTE in staffing reductions districtwide, reductions in some staff overload assignments and a modest cut to IT summer hours. The plan also would move middle‑school coaching salaries and supply budgets (combined roughly $160,000) into Fund 80 (community services), shifting those costs out of the general fund and outside the district revenue limit. Administrators said middle‑school athletic fees could still be collected and deposited into Fund 80 to offset some of that cost.
The draft budget includes a full CPI‑based salary increase (2.63% effective July 1) for staff but pairs that raise with a proposed reduction in the district’s HSA contribution—$250 less for single policy holders and $500 less for families—to help fund the compensation increase. Administrators said the HSA adjustment would be phased and that employees with existing HSA balances would not immediately feel the full reduction.
The administration also noted a multiyear planning item: moving toward a self‑funded health insurance model starting in calendar 2027, a change administrators said could require an initial reserve and a stop‑loss arrangement; they cautioned the district should expect elevated early-year costs while reserve and administrative structures are established.
Board members asked for follow‑up detail on unpaid lunch balances, potential impacts to extracurricular participation, and alternatives to staff reductions. Administrators said the current model still required additional minor adjustments and that more specific staffing decisions would be developed before any formal personnel actions.
No formal vote on the budget was taken; the presentation was informational and will guide draft budget documents for future board review and action.
