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Beloit board details options to close a $4.5 million gap, warns of deeper shortfall in 2027-28
Summary
Trustees laid out proposals — from delaying maintenance and leaving positions unfilled to tapping OPEB and reducing student services — after administrators said the district faces a roughly $4.5 million budget reduction for 2026-27 and a much larger shortfall the following year.
Board President Tia Johnson opened discussion on a worsening budget picture, telling the School District of Beloit board that the district faces an estimated $4.5 million reduction in 2026-27 and a projected $14 million–$15 million or larger shortfall the following year.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Leah Gordon Mallett, sitting in for Dr. Anderson, reviewed potential cost-saving measures: leaving positions unfilled, delaying major maintenance (including the Aldrich parking lot), exploring in‑district legal counsel, reducing professional-development spending, selling unused property, and using some OPEB funds. She said a package of those steps could save about $2.7 million and that additional, deeper choices — possibly affecting counseling, nursing, security and athletics — remain on the table.
Community speakers urged caution. Charlene Huttner, a Fruzen Middle School counselor, cited the district’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey and national counselor-ratio guidance, arguing that cuts to elementary counseling staff would harm student mental health. A letter read on behalf of Whitney Klein, a Title Elementary social worker, warned that cutting student-services staff could increase violence, absenteeism, self-harm and staff turnover.
James Hoy, co‑president of the Beloit Education Association, told trustees that a reduced work calendar is not equivalent to a cost‑of‑living pay raise and urged the board to prioritize salary increases over alternatives that cut instructional time.
Board members said more detail is necessary before votes. Trustee Carol Fox asked administration to return detailed plans listing specific positions that could be left unfilled, the projected savings, and proposed mitigations to preserve essential supports. Trustees also asked for clarity on the restrictions that accompany potential uses of OPEB and the mechanics of Fund 80 proposals.
The board agreed to schedule a dedicated budget workshop to allow more time for administrators to present program-level impacts and for trustees to weigh tradeoffs ahead of May deadlines for certain decisions. No formal cuts were approved at the meeting.
