Board approves amended FY26 budget, Magma Math subscription and several personnel and fee items

The Linn‑Mar board approved a series of administrative and routine items at its meeting, including an amended FY2026 certified budget, a three‑year subscription for Magma Math to support algebra instruction, and multiple personnel and fee items on the consent agenda.

Budget amendment: the board approved the amended FY2026 certified budget, a routine year‑end adjustment to align certified numbers with updated revenue and expense information. District staff described the amendment as a conservative update to reflect actual expenditures and noted that the district’s historical budgeting practices avoid using maximum allowable figures.

Magma Math approval: Nathan presented Magma Math as a diagnostic "show‑your‑work" tool aligned to standards that the district plans to use with approximately 700 high-school and algebra‑1 students. He said the tool captures keystrokes, stylus or typed work for teacher review and is intended as a feedback and diagnostic resource rather than a replacement for pencil‑and‑paper instruction. The board approved a three‑year subscription quoted at $11,200 per year.

Personnel and fees: the board approved open‑enrollment requests, the 2026–27 student fee schedule, and wage/package increases for several groups (including a 3.03% package increase for the Linn-Mar Service Association, a 3% package increase for transportation staff, and a 5.53% total package increase for part‑time nutrition services staff to raise the starting wage to $16/hour). The consent agenda, which included routine contracts and items, was approved as presented.

What comes next: administration will finalize implementation details for Magma Math, publish the final amended budget documents, and work with bargaining units and staff to implement approved wage and package adjustments.