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Cordova superintendent seeks $2.35 million from city as district faces roughly $1.4 million shortfall
Summary
The Cordova school district projected about a $1.43 million FY27 deficit and the superintendent said he will ask the city for a $2.35 million cash contribution (plus $25,000 in-kind) to close the gap; trustees discussed reductions that could affect extracurricular trips and a placeholder second sixth-grade teacher.
The Cordova City School District’s leadership presented an initial FY27 budget showing a projected deficit of roughly $1.43 million and outlined program and administrative reductions to narrow the gap. Superintendent Alex told the board he would ask the city for $2.35 million in cash and $25,000 in-kind — an amount the district’s staff said sits under the city’s maximum allowable contribution — and asked trustees to advocate with the city council.
The administration’s presentation itemized possible reductions including removing a second sixth‑grade teacher placeholder, limiting extracurricular trip funding to one trip per activity and administrative reductions. The packet presented potential savings from one-time moves (such as using about $300,000 of allowable fund-balance as a prepaid expense and drawing $100,000 from a district scholarship fund) but still left an estimated shortfall of about $353,000 without additional revenue.
Board members pressed for clarity on likely cuts if the city does not provide the full request and emphasized the district’s priorities. Trustees noted teacher positions are a high priority for preserving instruction and expressed concern that staffing reductions — including the placeholder sixth-grade position — could force difficult choices about class configuration and program delivery. The superintendent and finance staff reviewed a menu of programmatic and one-time revenue options that would be considered before cutting classroom teachers, but said some scenarios would still require reductions to extracurricular support or other services.
Administration briefed the board on timing: the district must finalize a budget for state submission by July 15. The superintendent said he could file the city request as soon as the board approved that course of action and that the city would have 30 days to respond. Trustees indicated general support for submitting the $2.35 million request and for presenting a clear case to the city about educational priorities and program impacts if the full amount is not granted.
Next steps: administration will include the city request in the district’s formal budget submission and continue to refine program-level reduction options for board review before the July budget adoption deadline.
