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Dearborn Heights D7 board hears midyear budget amendment projecting $40.5 million in revenue, plans formal adoption later
Summary
Board members received a midyear budget amendment showing projected revenue rising from $35.7 million to about $40.5 million, driven by state aid adjustments, higher at-risk funding and ESSER carryover; the board will consider formal adoption at a future meeting after finance committee review.
Dr. Getser presented the Dearborn Heights School District No. 7 midyear amendment to the 2024–25 budget, telling trustees the district’s revenue projection rose from $35.7 million to about $40.5 million.
"We had originally budgeted to receive $35.7 million in revenue. Our new projection is $40.5 million in revenue," Dr. Getser said, and attributed the roughly $5 million increase mainly to higher state revenue and grant adjustments.
The presenter broke down major drivers: an increase in at-risk funding (projected at about $4.2 million, including roughly $1 million of funds not spent in the prior year that will support students this year), changes in retirement-related state calculations that lowered the district’s share of pension costs, and approximately $1 million in ESSER/COVID-era projects carried into 2024–25. Dr. Getser also said local interest income would add to revenue, noting a projected $475,000 from interest.
On the expenditure side, the district expects to spend just over $45 million, with most new spending directed to instruction and instructional supports. "The majority of the increases are in salaries and benefits," Dr. Getser said, and she said the district has used additional funding to hire special education staff, psychologists, social workers and nurses.
Board members asked for clarifications about line items and contingency funds. Dr. Getser confirmed the district expects to end the year with about a 20% fund balance — approximately $8.98 million — and explained the rationale for maintaining that reserve (to cover months without state aid and to avoid borrowing from the state's revolving school aid fund).
Trustees agreed the finance committee will reconvene once more state-aid information is available and will bring a finalized amended budget back to the full board for formal adoption at a future meeting.
The presentation packet (pages referenced during the meeting) included line-item revenue detail, function-by-function expenditure breakdowns and the two-page fund-function layout trustees used to review how the district spends its money. No formal vote on the amendment was taken at this meeting; the board scheduled adoption for an upcoming session after additional review.
