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District proposes $12.4M in FY26 requests, including teacher pay steps and K3 support; administration proposes 6.8% base reductions to balance
Summary
The CFO presented FY26 budget requests including step increases, new specialist hires and a $639,912 three‑mill request for K3 teacher support; administrators proposed an across‑the‑board 6.8% reduction of base budget lines as one option to balance without using fund balance.
CFO Shhatikica Spearman told trustees the administration’s FY26 proposal would add roughly $12.45 million in requests including teacher step increases, new hires and K3 teacher support, and that the district could avoid tapping fund balance by cutting the base FY25 lines by about 6.8 percent while adding priority items.
Key items outlined: a teacher starting salary increase, step adjustments (estimated $2.9M for step increases), six behavior interventionists (approx. $432,000), 15 instructional coaches (~$1.9M), an assistant principal at Cherryville, an administrative assistant for Rafting Creek and an ASL interpreter. The package also includes a proposed coaches’ stipend increase and a district virtual‑school offering estimate of $125,000.
The administration is seeking county council support for a three‑mill request (about $639,912) to fund additional K3 teacher support positions; the county council presentation was scheduled for the following day. The CFO said revenue scenarios from the legislature were still in flux but presented House, Senate and conference figures; she said local Avalorum tax revenue is estimated at about $34.5 million for FY26.
To bridge the gap between projected revenue increases (~$4.1M) and the requested expenditures (~$12.45M), the CFO proposed either using fund balance or applying a nominal 6.8% reduction across base expenditure lines; administrators said that approach would enable the district to fund prioritized requests without a fund‑balance drawdown.
Trustees asked for the number of budgeted teaching positions (administration estimated roughly 830 positions) and requested continued monthly updates as the FY26 numbers are finalized.
