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Albany County School District No. 1 adopts FY26–27 budget, adds targeted staff steps and reserve moves
Summary
The Albany County School District No. 1 board adopted its FY26–27 budget after a public hearing, approving salary-step additions and reserve adjustments; trustees also approved a small FY25–26 budget amendment related to insurance and formula corrections.
The Albany County School District No. 1 Board of Education adopted the district's FY26'27 budget after a public hearing and presentation from finance staff.
Finance staff described the budget model and assumptions, saying the proposal "provided, a $12,000 increase to certified staff, a $7,500 increase to professional staff, and a $2 raise to certified staff" and that the district would move funds into a new set of reserve accounts described in the packet. The presenter said the budget was built on the WDEA 100 model and that site-level allocations are based on ADM and account codes intended to be clearer for principals and secretaries.
The board opened questions about the new approach to monthly financial reporting, which will move the monthly financials to the consent agenda and add a standing "finance Q&A" slot for trustees to raise concerns. Several trustees urged continued transparency and asked staff to flag unusual items for public discussion rather than letting routine items disappear into consent.
During discussion trustees also asked for clearer pie- or bar-chart breakdowns of federal grants and site impacts. Finance staff said federal funds are recorded in special revenue funds and that a grants report in the regular monthly financials will show details by grant and activity.
The board approved a small FY25'26 budget amendment to record an insurance claim payout and to correct a formula error moving a local Recreation Mill revenue line; a motion to approve the amendment passed by voice vote. A subsequent motion to adopt the FY26'27 budget as presented also passed by voice vote.
Trustee Jessie Marshall praised the staff work on compensation, saying, "It's wonderful all that we're doing for our employees. I'm so happy we've talked for so many years about how can we really have a substantial raise to help our people." Finance staff cautioned that some of the step and reserve choices were driven by available dollars and by ongoing legislative and recalibration uncertainty.
What happens next: the budget was formally adopted and the packet documents will be the basis for monthly reporting; trustees said they will review the new consent/finance-Q&A approach after testing it for a short period.
