Astoria SD 1 budget committee reviews 2026–27 proposal, including virtual charter plan and staffing shifts

The Astoria SD 1 budget committee reviewed a proposed 2026–27 budget that staff said is designed to support priorities including instructional development, workforce retention and student supports, while responding to enrollment-driven revenue shifts.

Presenter (speaker 4) read the budget message, telling the committee the district began the budget process in February to allow more time for review. "We started this process a lot sooner this year," the presenter said, noting the district is prioritizing instructional development, workforce retention and family engagement.

The proposal moves several building-level budgets for student supplies and custodial consumables into centralized district accounts to allow bulk purchasing and to fund shared, higher-cost equipment such as carpet machines and auto-scrubbers. Staff (speaker 2) said centralizing purchases and consolidating nonconsumable budgets should improve pricing and planning for high-cost items that individual schools cannot afford on their own.

Committee members pressed staff on staffing and enrollment. Staff said the budget anticipates a net increase of about 5.94 full-time-equivalent positions this year, driven largely by special-education needs and one additional transportation position (an assistant mechanic who may also drive routes). Staff also said the proposal includes a reduction of two certified positions in grades K–5 tied to current enrollment levels; the committee discussed trade-offs between keeping teachers versus retaining instructional assistants and counselors.

A major new item in the proposed budget is a district-sponsored virtual charter, the Lower Columbia Virtual Charter Academy. Staff outlined a plan based on enrolling about 350 students and said they had budgeted for three district staff positions to support the charter: a coordinator of virtual/online learning, a registrar and a special-education teacher. "We are proposing to hire 3 staff members," staff said, and added that the district would bill the charter for services the district provides.

Staff described the cash flow and risk: they estimate roughly $3,850,000 in state school fund revenue attributable to charter enrollment; by the arrangement described in the meeting, 80% of that funding would pass through to the nonprofit charter and 20% would remain with the district, and the charter would reimburse the district for services such as special education. Staff emphasized that if enrollment falls short, the district need not incur those charter-related expenses. "If they don't send us that many students, then we just don't have that expense," the presenter said.

Committee members asked about transportation costs, which staff said have risen (parts and servicing) and prompted the proposal to add an assistant mechanic. The committee also discussed an increase in transfers to athletics to cover wage increases tied to teacher salary increases.

Members flagged calendar and instructional-day questions: one committee member said national benchmarks are about 180 instructional days while the district counts some professional development and conferences as instructional time, a practice that yields fewer traditional instructional days in practice. Staff and the chair said calendar changes would be a board decision and could require contract negotiations.

The committee approved its procedural items by voice vote earlier in the meeting and set dates to continue budget consideration, with staff asking members to submit any further questions ahead of the next meeting so answers can be prepared.

The meeting did not adopt a final budget; staff said the district plans to take the proposed budget to a public hearing in June and must adopt final budget figures by the end of June.