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USD 383 gets preliminary FY2027 budget briefing as enrollment dip shifts funding formula
Summary
District staff told the Board of Education that a decrease in current-year enrollment means FY2027 state aid will rely more on a three‑year average; administrators also flagged a nearly 10% rise in property/auto insurance and a projected 12% drop in workers' compensation costs tied to a provider change.
District finance staff presented preliminary figures for fiscal year 2027 and warned board members that an enrollment decline this year will change how state aid is calculated.
Mister Hutchinson explained that state base aid (the base amount used in the Kansas funding formula) rose 2.9% from 5,615 in FY26 to 5,778 for FY27 and that the district will rely on a three‑year average for full‑time‑equivalent (FTE) counts because current‑year enrollment decreased. "So because we decreased this last year, we'll be looking at or anticipating a three year average moving into fiscal year 27," he said.
He told the board the district's audited weighted FTE for FY26 is 8,942, and described components that adjust that total, including at‑risk, bilingual, career technical education and transportation weightings under the Kansas School Equity and Enhancement Act.
Administrators also warned of cost pressures. Hutchinson said property and auto coverage through the KICKS pool showed a 9.7% increase — "just shy of a $120,000" — while workers' compensation is expected to fall about 12% after the district changes providers. On health insurance, he said brokers continue to market the policy to seek better rates after an earlier projection of a 23% increase.
Board members asked for updated CPI and fuel estimates before final figures are produced. "That 3.4% was more of a CPI average ... March to March of '25 to '26," Hutchinson said; trustees asked staff to refine those numbers to reflect recent market changes for utilities and transportation fuel.
Next steps: staff will convert the preliminary percentages into dollar figures for the June 1 meeting and bring further details before the board advances a budget for adoption in September.
