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Beloit board weighs three budget scenarios to close $5.7 million shortfall
Summary
Facing a roughly $5.7 million gap, the Beloit School District administration presented three options that trade staff cuts and building reconfigurations against one-time retirement (OPED) funds and a possible referendum. The board asked for committee input and more enrollment projections before deciding.
The Beloit School District on May 19 confronted a $5.7 million budget shortfall and heard three districtwide options for balancing the 2026–27 budget that would reshape staffing and building use.
Superintendent Dr. Anderson told the school board the shortfall grew from an initial estimate of $4.5 million because of higher insurance and transportation costs. He presented three scenarios: Option A, which targets staffing reductions across the district and would cut roughly 44.7 full-time equivalents and still require about $822,784 from OPED (other postemployment benefits) to balance; Option B, a more aggressive plan that would reconfigure buildings (including repurposing Merryill and moving programs into other facilities), reduce about 48.2 FTE and require a smaller OPED draw; and Option C, the least aggressive approach that primarily eliminates vacant positions and would keep building structures intact but still require nearly $1.84 million of OPED funding.
Dr. Anderson said selling surplus property (the district recently sold McNeel) and shifting some programs into fund 80 (a community fund) were among potential one-time or ongoing savings. He emphasized that every option would change how the district operates next year and warned that “there is no feasible way to come up with $5.7 million without cuts.”
Board members expressed sharply different views during an extended discussion. Some members urged more aggressive reductions and earlier building consolidations to preserve long-term fund equity; others favored Option C to protect employees and buy time to develop a community-backed referendum. Vice President Carol Fox pressed for a plan that minimizes OPED use because those funds earn interest and can be critical in subsequent years; several members asked the administration for three- and five-year enrollment projections to anchor any referendum question.
The board directed the superintendent to convene two public administrative committees — one on enrollment and marketing and one to examine building use and a potential referendum — and to provide a revised budget proposal that reflects the board’s feedback. Dr. Anderson said he would meet with cabinet and principals and circulate a new iteration of options before the next board meeting.
The board did not adopt a final budget or vote on any single option at the meeting; members extended the discussion to allow additional public and staff input and set a timetable for committee work and potential referendum drafting.
