District told to plan budget assuming some federal cuts as states proposed increase provides cushion

Staff reviewed the governors proposed state budget and urged the budget committee to align spending with the districts strategic plan and shared community values. An agency official told the committee the governors number is a useful starting point but cautioned the district should plan conservatively if federal funds do not arrive.

"Each student is about $11,400 right now," the presenter said, noting enrollment drives the districts state revenue and that small enrollment changes, particularly in kindergarten, can affect funding. The presenter recommended building a proposed budget that does not rely on backfilling federal grants in the general fund so that if grants are cut, the programs would either be cut or charged to families rather than masked by one-time district dollars.

Staff identified several at-risk federal streams: schoolwide Title I funds (about $63,000 at the elementary), other Title programs (about $42,000) that the presenter said could be eliminated, the 21st Century after-school grant (roughly $73,000) and IDEA special-education funding (noted at about $100,000). "I think building a budget on a 25% reduction is solid," the presenter said when discussing planning assumptions for Title I.

Board members asked about timeline and state action; staff said the district must finalize a budget by June 30 and that uncertainty at the federal level could delay or reduce funds that flow through the state. Staff also flagged personnel cost pressures, including a projected PERS increase (~3%), roll-up salary steps, and anticipated contract negotiations that could include cost-of-living requests.

The committee did not adopt any action in the session but directed staff to continue modeling scenarios (status-quo, moderate cuts, and worst-case reductions) and to return with a proposed budget that preserves staff FTE where possible while explicitly showing what would be cut if federal funds disappear.