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Sherwood SD CFO: district facing a modest deficit under governor's recommended budget; levy funds sustain 56 teacher positions
Summary
CFO Gary Bennett told the Sherwood SD 88J board that the district is projecting a conservative deficit of about $1,340,000 under the governor's recommended budget, cited enrollment declines and PERS rate pressure, and said levy revenue supports 56 full-time-equivalent positions.
CFO Gary Bennett gave the board a detailed fiscal update, saying current-year operating expenditures are roughly equal to operating revenues and framing a conservative forecast for next year. "We're looking at a deficit... of about $1,340,000," Bennett said, adding that the district took conservative budgeting positions after recent uncertainty and that a fix to the state's current service level calculation may improve the outlook.
Bennett explained why some revenue lines are down: enrollment fell after a large senior class graduated and the incoming kindergarten class was 243 students. He also described how the district's payroll and PERS exposure has evolved and noted that the levy supports 56 FTE positions, most of them teachers. "Without the levy, they would be just untenable in every class in the district," Bennett said, emphasizing the levy's role in maintaining staffing.
Board members asked questions about the assumptions behind the forecast, payroll averages and special-education funding; several members stressed the need for clearer messaging to the community on how levy funds translate into teacher positions. Bennett said the next state revenue forecast in late February will provide more clarity and the district will update the board after that.
