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Finance director presents proposed 2026–27 general fund budget with modest surplus amid declining enrollment
Summary
Director of Finance Val Mirdestorf presented a $71.3M revenue and $71.2M expenditure proposal for 2026–27, projecting a small surplus and a 17.4% unassigned fund balance while warning that state reimbursement changes and declining enrollment remain key risks.
Val Mirdestorf, the district—s director of finance, presented the proposed 2026–27 general fund budget to the Northfield Public School Board on Monday, projecting roughly $71.3 million in revenue and $71.2 million in expenditures and a small surplus.
Mirdestorf said the district is projecting about 4,089.2 adjusted pupil units and noted continuing declines in enrollment. "That dark blue adjusted pupil units is really what nearly all of our district formulas are based on," she told the board. She highlighted several revenue components: a 2.69% increase in the state basic formula (about $7,006.83 per adjusted pupil unit), local property-tax revenue including the district—s operating referendum, and federal and other local sources.
The director called out areas of budget pressure: special education costs (projected to increase), a shift in state special-education transportation reimbursement (from 100% toward 95% and projected to 90%), and new statutory costs such as the Minnesota paid-leave payroll tax. Mirdestorf also explained a one-time accounting change that made the English-language cross subsidy appear as both an $800,000 revenue and $800,000 expense on the books but does not change the net bottom line.
During questions, board members asked how a potential $250 million statewide legislative reduction might affect the district; Mirdestorf said that the implications are unknown and not yet reflected in the draft budget. She also confirmed that the district had not budgeted for another first-century grant and that the medical assistance (MA) revenue line refers to medical-assistance reimbursements.
Mirdestorf said the district projects an unassigned fund balance of about 17.4% (above the board—s 14% benchmark) and emphasized the many moving pieces that could alter projections, including collective-bargaining outcomes and state funding decisions.
What—s next: The proposed budget will come back for individual action at the May 11 regular board meeting; the administration said it will update figures if state legislative actions require it.
