Board approves audit contract, year‑end staff benefit changes and budget amendment

During the meeting the board approved a recommendation to re-engage Ericsson and Associates for the district’s 2026–27 audit, citing familiarity and a competitive proposal. A board member summarized the rationale: Ericsson had worked with the district previously and presented the lowest-cost proposal among respondents.

Separately, the board considered a year‑end budget amendment tied to staff benefits. Members attributed the district’s ability to fund the recommendation to savings from a change in the health-care provider and to staff who analyzed and recommended approaches that yielded measurable savings. "That made it possible for us to do this," a board member said of the staffing and benefits recommendation.

The motion to award the audit contract was recorded as approved in the public session with one abstention noted in the transcript; the budget amendment and staff-benefit recommendation were also approved (the transcript records a vote pattern consistent with approval and specified tallies elsewhere in the meeting). The board asked for ongoing reporting on outcomes so members and the public could see the effect of the changes on staff costs and district finances.

The board’s finance briefing noted the general fund was running near last year’s percentages with revenue up slightly, and reiterated that food service was running at a smaller-than-projected deficit.