Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Operating Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Santa Fe school board studies FY2026–27 operating budget, eyes cash to cover one-time priorities
Summary
Board staff presented a $156.2 million FY2026–27 operating budget baseline and compliance costs, noting the total exceeds projected revenue and proposing use of cash reserves for non-recurring items including behavioral initiatives, HR staffing and athletics expansion.
The Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education reviewed a draft FY2026–27 operating budget at a study session, where staff outlined a baseline budget, statutorily required compliance costs and a set of board-prioritized requests that together raise the proposed operating total to about $156.2 million.
Superintendent and finance staff presented the three-step approach staff used to build the recommendation: start with the FY27 base, add compliance items the district must meet (such as local minimum-wage adjustments and teacher level advancements), and then layer in school and department requests. "We will continue to update the board on any new awards that come in," the superintendent said, noting grant and award updates that could change the final numbers.
Why it matters: the proposed total exceeds anticipated revenue, and board members pressed staff on where to use one-time cash versus recurring revenue. Staff recommended using district cash balance for non-recurring purchases (instructional materials, summer programs) and to smooth timing for salary-level advancements that will be submitted for state reimbursement later.
Key details from the presentation: staff reported 103 teachers are expected to advance one level on the salary schedule, producing a material recurring cost; they estimated a cost of $342,700 to ensure every elementary school offers a language other than English in grades 1— (a statutory offering requirement the district must meet); and they listed school requests grouped under behavioral initiatives (including four dean-of-students positions and a restorative-justice program at Capitol High), math-literacy materials, athletics expansion and summer school funding (about $300,000). Communities and Schools was listed as a $260,000 partner-funded line item in the operational budget.
Board members asked for more operational clarity and for staff to return with reconciled cash projections at the end of FY26 before finalizing how much cash to budget in FY27. Several members said the board should prioritize a plan for one-time uses and safeguards to prevent the state from reducing district allocations because of a high cash balance. The board also asked staff to explicitly show how pay-table negotiations under contract talks would affect take-home pay and to confirm no employee would see a reduction in net pay under proposed adjustments.
Staff also walked through the district's staffing and targeted units, noting the bilingual/multicultural units generate roughly $3.1 million and English-learner units about $7.4 million under the state funding formula, and that many funding lines remain student-count driven. A school-level breakdown of counselors, nurses and health assistants showed an emphasis on maintaining minimum coverage even where enrollment declines.
Next steps: staff said they will reconcile final FY26 results, refine revenue and cash estimates, and bring a formal budget document and any recommended board actions to next week's meeting packet. The board signaled it wants the final proposed budget to include funding to begin planning for HR capacity to support operational priorities that could reduce reliance on outside vendors.
