Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Carman-Ainsworth finance committee reviews changes to 2025–26 general fund budget amid student-count dip and federal shutdown uncertainty
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Russell Parks told the Carman-Ainsworth Board finance committee on Oct. 21 that the district expects revenue and expenditure shifts for 2025–26 — including a reported decline in student count, increased state at-risk and foundation funding, and a planned bus purchase — and presented scenarios if a federal government shutdown persists.
CARMAN-AINSWORTH, Mich. — The Carman-Ainsworth Board of Education Finance Committee met Oct. 21 to review proposed changes to the district’s 2025–26 general fund budget, Assistant Superintendent Russell Parks said. Parks outlined revenue-side and expenditure-side adjustments and warned that an ongoing federal government shutdown left some funding prospects uncertain.
Parks reviewed the district’s General Fund Budget Summary, calling out adopted 2025–26 revenue and expenditure categories and the district’s current fund-balance figures. He said the district is projecting a decrease in student count this fall while receiving increases in the state foundation allowance, at-risk funding and certain state categorical grants. The minutes do not specify the size of the student-count decline or dollar amounts tied to those changes.
On the expenditure side, Parks said the district plans to purchase buses and anticipates a decrease in some state categorical expenditures. The minutes do not list the number of buses or estimated costs for the purchase.
Parks also addressed the broader fiscal context, noting that “potential federal government proposals” are under consideration but that he could not provide definitive answers because of an ongoing federal government shutdown. He presented projected scenarios for the district’s funding if the shutdown continued, according to the committee minutes.
The assistant superintendent reported preliminary figures from the October student count but the minutes do not include the numeric totals. Opportunities for questions and clarification were provided during the presentation, though no formal motions or votes were recorded in the minutes.
The Finance Committee meeting was called to order by President Gloria Nealy at 6:01 p.m. and adjourned at 6:21 p.m. La Cracha Handy signed the minutes as board secretary.
