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Westonka's finance staff previews proposed 2026-27 budget, projects $7.2M fund balance
Summary
The board reviewed the proposed FY 2026-27 budget: enrollment projected at 2,429 (weighted 2,655), a 2.69% state per-student increase factored into revenue, and an estimated unassigned fund balance of roughly $7.17 million (about 15.5% of the general fund).
The Westonka Public School District board heard a detailed preview of the proposed fiscal year 2026-27 budget, including enrollment assumptions, revenue estimates and fund-balance projections.
Kathy, the district finance presenter, told the board the budget model uses a projected enrollment of 2,429 students and a weighted count of 2,655. "We are planning on at this point is 2,429 students," she said, and noted the state's general-education formula aid increase of 2.69% factored into the revenue assumptions.
The budget presentation showed an adopted-general-fund plan of roughly $46 million and a projected unassigned/assigned fund balance of about $7,165,000, or 15.54% of the general fund, which the presenter said aligns with board policy targets of 8% to 18%.
Finance staff described revenue composition and risks: roughly 63% of revenues come from the state and about 30% from property taxes, with federal and other sources filling the remainder. The presenter flagged potential state-level changes under consideration by a 'blue-ribbon' work group that could affect the cross-subsidy special-education aid in a future budget cycle.
Other fund details were shared: the building-construction fund expects roughly $28.5 million in expenditures next year and about $725,000 in interest earnings tied to recent bond proceeds; the district's construction fund balance (including a second bond sale) was reported at about $41 million.
Kathy said the budget will be revised this winter after enrollment and legislative actions are clearer and reminded the board that an action item for the budget appears later on the meeting agenda.
Board members praised the finance team's preparation and asked follow-up questions about how long bond and reserve funds will last and about the timing and predictability of federal revenue figures.
