Superintendent presents FY27 budget proposal with 5.2% increase, prioritizing safety, interventions and capital repairs

Superintendent Dr. Fulby presented the Winthrop Public Schools proposed FY27 budget to the school board, saying the plan is intended to balance fiscal stewardship with student supports and facility needs. The proposal would raise district expenditures by roughly 5.2% and aligns spending to three district strategic goals: safety, student achievement and capital improvements.

Dr. Fulby listed three primary budget priorities. On safety, he proposed installing security cameras at the grade school, saying the estimated cost is $50,000 to bring elementary sites in line with middle and high school systems. On achievement, the superintendent cited recent standardized-assessment gains: "Our most recent NWA data shows positive trends in reading achievement. It has increased from 69 to 73% of students scoring within target bands," and noted math gains as well as specific concerns in middle-school math. On capital needs, he said more than $2 million in building repairs have been identified districtwide and proposed increasing the capital repairs line from $100,000 to $150,000 for FY27.

The presentation listed several staffing adjustments intended to target student needs while limiting added cost. The district proposes creating a middle-level math interventionist by restructuring the librarian role to include math intervention at no additional cost, and increasing support for multilingual learners from a 0.2 to a 0.5 districtwide position to respond to a growing multilingual population.

Dr. Fulby also proposed continuing to build a turf replacement reserve, requesting a $5,000 contribution to a reserve that currently holds $21,000. He said the majority of the FY27 increase is driven by rising salaries, benefits and higher electricity costs; he noted some difficult reductions made to lower the initial projection (for example, eliminating a 0.5 administrative assistant position in special education and reducing a 0.5 special-education teacher and a 0.5 gifted-and-talented position).

The superintendent identified several remaining unknowns in the proposed budget, including insurance costs (the district is currently budgeting an estimated 10% for insurance and noted other districts have budgeted up to 15%). He reported an incoming state subsidy increase of $589,382 tied to rising enrollment and said the district has welcomed 36 new students this year (approximately a 4.5% enrollment increase).

Board members asked for a quantified list of the specific items left unfunded so they could better understand tradeoffs. Dr. Fulby agreed to prepare an estimate of unfunded requests for the next board meeting. He reminded the public that administrators will present detailed, department-level budget information at upcoming board meetings and invited the community to a public forum on March 19 at 6 p.m. at the high school to review cost centers and ask questions.

"This budget is thoughtful and responsible, not extravagant, but intentional. It reflects what we believe is necessary to move our schools to the next level," Dr. Fulby said in closing. The board took no vote on the FY27 budget at this meeting; the presentation will be followed by line-item presentations and formal adoption steps later in the budget calendar.