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Board grapples with budget shortfall; discusses program consolidations, facility closures and staff trade‑offs
Summary
Faced with a growing budget gap and declining enrollment, the board reviewed administration’s 'final' budget option, possible savings from trimming virtual instruction, program consolidations, moving BLA or closing Merrill Elementary, and an 'enhanced C' plan to use vacancies and limited OPED funds for one‑year transition costs. Trustees asked administration for detailed side‑by‑side options and timelines at a special meeting next Tuesday.
The Beloit School Board spent the latter half of its June 16 meeting on the district’s projected 2026–27 budget shortfall, weighing a range of proposals that trade fiscal savings against program and community impacts.
Administration presented a 'final' option that included reducing primarily‑district virtual instruction (saving roughly $100,000), trimming certain purchases in teaching & learning (≈$125,000), and other targeted savings. Superintendent Wayne Anderson told trustees that more aggressive steps — including moving Beloit Learning Academy into another building or closing Merrill Elementary and redistributing students — could yield substantially larger savings, in one model approaching roughly $985,000. He cautioned that major building moves require time and planning and that eliminating the BLA program entirely would produce the most immediate savings but would remove an alternative pathway relied upon by vulnerable students.
Anderson outlined an "enhanced C" approach to avert layoffs: use vacancies and attrition to reduce staffing costs, restore some elementary library/media positions to full time (reversing previously proposed half‑time cuts), and use OPED funds to cover one year of longevity pay (≈$330,000) as a bridge while the district plans longer‑term 2027–28 facility changes.
Board members expressed sharply differing views: some urged bold, faster consolidations and said voters need to see decisive steps to support any potential referendum; others called for careful, humane transitions to protect students, staff and program integrity. Several trustees asked administration to produce detailed short‑ and medium‑term plans that include transportation impacts, staffing reassignments and estimated one‑time and recurring savings.
In separate business tied to governance and operations, the board approved a resolution authorizing use of an independent hearing officer for pupil expulsions for the 2026–27 year (Resolution 26‑27.01). The roll call vote was 6–1 in favor with Megan Miller voting no. The board also approved the Hendricks Family Foundation literacy grant agreement and the Read, Talk, Play funding motion (pending DPI approval). After extensive discussion, the board directed administration to return next Tuesday with side‑by‑side options, and agreed not to take immediate facility‑closure actions at the meeting.
