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Board approves FY2026 budget amendment, moves $1.78 million to ensure two years of free school meals
Summary
Trustees approved a FY2026 budget amendment that reallocates $1,782,433 into the food‑service program to cover two years of free meals, approved the recreation mill resolution for July consideration, and authorized a Sedexo contract amendment that raises the lunch price by 14 cents.
The Albany County School District #1 board voted June 9 to approve a fiscal‑year 2026 budget amendment that reallocates district reserves and grant adjustments and shifts $1,782,433 into the food‑service program so the district can provide free breakfast and lunch for the next two school years.
Miss Green, the district finance presenter, told trustees the transfer responds to a recalibration of pre‑1997 reserves and that the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) agreed the district may treat the funds as a two‑year spend‑down to guarantee meals for the next two years. "This increased [food service subsidy] to a total transfer of $1,782,433," Miss Green said, adding that WDE approved a two‑year plan to ensure the district can feed students for free while avoiding a large ongoing encumbrance on the general fund.
Trustees asked detailed questions about fund reporting, capital construction entries, grant accounting, contingency plans if federal reimbursements change, and how spending and revenue line up across multiple funds. Miss Green explained the $1.78 million transfer "will clear up this year and the next two years" and that the district also plans a memo in July recommending a $300,000 transfer to the equipment reserve.
On the revenue side, Miss Green told trustees that property‑tax assessments and new commercial assessments had shifted estimates by roughly $4 million and that encumbrances and journal entries explain several line‑item variances. The board approved the FY2026 budget amendment by voice vote.
Related fiscal actions at the meeting included:
- Recreation mill resolution: Trustees adopted a resolution expressing support for renewal of the one‑mill recreation levy and signaled intent to consider and approve the levy at the July 15, 2026 budget hearing.
- Sedexo contract amendment: The board approved a contract amendment with Sedexo for school breakfast and lunch services that includes a 14‑cent increase to the lunch price; trustees discussed portion sizes, USDA constraints on nutrition and portions, and plans for local donations (meat donations from community businesses via the county fair) to increase scratch‑cooking opportunities.
Miss Green also reported that monthly financial reports were approved earlier in the meeting and that the district carried a general fund cash reserve balance of about $15.3 million. Trustees asked for additional budget education and a deeper work session on the new funding model; some trustees requested a dedicated session before the July budget vote so members can review the new fiscal framework.
