East Otero School District board adopts balanced 2026–27 budget, approves package of renewals and purchases

The East Otero School District No. R1 Board of Education voted June 29 to adopt the district—inal budget and amended appropriation resolution for fiscal year 2026 nd 2027, approving a projected Fund 10 surplus of about $260,054 and a slate of vendor renewals and capital purchases.

Kim, the district—inance presenter from Abacus, said the district finally received prior property-tax receipts that improved May cash flow and produced a May-ending positive of roughly $49,000 and "about 118 days cash on hand." Kim also told the board the district had created a separate TABOR/Colorado Trust account for set-asides and that the district earned approximately $13,000 of interest in one month.

The board approved the final budget and amended appropriation resolution by roll call. Sarah, the Abacus budget consultant on Zoom, told the board the Fund 10 surplus rose from an earlier estimate of $242,000 to about $260,054 after staff removed a salary adjustment from the budget. She and district leadership emphasized the district is "held harmless" under the state's temporary funding adjustment for the next three years, meaning state per-pupil funding is expected to remain static for three years and officials must plan accordingly.

Votes at a glance (key items approved): - 2026—inal budget and amended appropriation resolution: approved (roll call) - CSDSIP insurance renewal: $465,671, approved - Edgenuity renewal (online coursework): $49,752, approved - GoGuardian/content filter renewal: $34,875, approved - Pinnacle workers—omp premium: $151,648, approved - Infinite Campus renewal (student information system): $31,145.70, approved - Website renewal: $15,840, approved - Northwest Evaluation Association (assessments): $18,462.50, approved - Triennial asbestos inspection (Clear Consulting): $15,500, approved - Primary school parking-lot repair (TLM Construction): $29,860, approved - Purchase of utility RTV (Kubota) to replace a stolen unit: $27,800, approved - CommonLit School Essentials (ELA, grades 6—6): $11,600, approved - Illustrative Math consumables (K—9): $33,122.85, approved

Board members and staff said audit cleanup remains ongoing: finance staff recommended amending appropriation exhibits to remove a placeholder $700,000 beginning balance in the student-activities Fund 23 and replace it with the correct cash figure, which Abacus said is closer to $22,000. Finance staff explained Fund 23 historically ran on a separate third-party system and recent migration and audit cleanup corrected the ledger.

The board and staff discussed Fund 31 (debt service) reporting and an apparent historical overcertification of mill levy collections, which produced a large cash balance on the books. Staff outlined options (making extra principal payments or adjusting future certifications) and cautioned undercertifying could complicate future bond issuances. The district will continue analysis before making policy changes.

The board closed with praise for central-office staff and Abacus for cleaning up the books and said the district will proceed with conservative staffing tied to actual student counts during the three-year held-harmless period. The motion passed on a roll call; the board adjourned the meeting at 8:49 p.m.