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District sees enrollment decline and uncertain state funding; staff outline budget scenarios
Summary
Finance staff reported $1 million in available cash, about $900,000 in investments, declining enrollment (funded pupil count down roughly 9.5% over five years) and uncertain state-level implementation of a new funding formula that could yield between roughly $59,000 and $314,000 in additional program funding depending on implementation percentage.
Finance staff reported that at the end of February the district had just over $1 million available and about $900,000 in general investments. The presenter said initial property-tax receipts were recorded in the meeting as "just under 6.4"; the unit or currency for that figure was not specified in the transcript.
For the 2026–27 planning year, the presenter reviewed the state school finance formula and walk-through calculations for the district’s total-program funding. He said the state’s move from a 15% to a planned 30% implementation of the new finance formula would increase the district’s share of the implementation ‘difference’ and, based on the preliminary numbers in the presentation, could add about $314,000 in total program funding if the state adopts 30% implementation next year. If the state remains at 15% implementation the district might see only about $59,000 in added total program funding.
The presenter also highlighted a continuing enrollment decline: funded pupil count dropped from 1,693 to 1,532 over five years, a decrease of roughly 9.5%. That decline and several state-level triggers (percent of local share, assessed valuations and contributions to the state education fund) mean final funding remains uncertain until state-level budget decisions are finalized.
Board members acknowledged the figures and the uncertainty. The meeting record shows discussion about the limited flexibility such funding changes could create for local programming and staffing decisions; no budget-adoption votes were taken at this meeting.
