District outlines roughly $2.4M of cuts or new revenue as it prepares 2026–27 budget

Superintendent Sheena and finance staff briefed the board on preliminary work to address a projected budget shortfall for the 2026–27 fiscal year. The team identified roughly $2.4 million in potential cuts or new revenue as of May 11, combining proposed personnel changes, reductions in athletics and programs, and possible property-sale revenue. The superintendent said the state has asked the district to identify about $2 million and the current scenario exceeds that target, though final actions remain subject to further review and collective-bargaining notice requirements.

Key figures and options discussed included an estimated high‑school athletics subtotal with potential savings roughly in the six digits (presenters cited a $190,000 high‑school athletics cost with about $130,000 in savings under one scenario), proposed replacement and stipend strategies to handle duties after retirements (for example, distributing a $50,000 stipend across several staff to cover duties previously centralized in a director role), and potential program eliminations (TriTech, busing). The superintendent emphasized personnel moves will follow contractual notice obligations; some positions will be internally reassigned before external hiring decisions are made.

Board members scheduled two work sessions (a Friday noon session and an evening session on Tuesday, May 19) to solicit public input and finalize details; the superintendent said the budget extension will be considered at the June 8 meeting with final adoption projected for July 27. The superintendent noted some items (OSPI-related approvals, property-sale timelines) could change the numbers and that additional retirements or resignations will affect final calculations.