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Laporte ISD #306 board weighs staff and non‑staff cuts to cover projected $500,000 shortfall
Summary
The ISD #306 board discussed two balanced options and a hybrid to close a projected 2026–27 budget gap driven by falling enrollment and rising health‑insurance costs, and directed administration to remove one elementary vacancy from the layoff list while pursuing non‑staff savings.
The Board of Education of ISD #306 met April 1 to consider options to close a projected budget shortfall for the 2026–27 school year. AJ Dombeck, a staff member for ISD #306, presented two balanced packages and offered to produce a hybrid combining elements of both; he told the board the district faces lower student enrollment and large insurance increases that together are driving the deficit.
Dombeck said the district has "a larger than required reserve but cannot run at a $500,000 deficit," and that administrators will pursue a mix of targeted staff reductions and non‑staff savings. Board members were briefed that 85% of expenditures are salaries and benefits, which narrows the options largely to personnel changes or cuts in contracted services and other non‑payroll accounts.
The board pressed staff on whether non‑staff choices could meaningfully reduce the gap. Dombeck said staff are analyzing two plans to change transportation contracts and other service arrangements but cautioned transitions "won’t be smooth or painless." Chair Jacqueline Meyer and member Andrew Graham signaled support for not replacing one retiring elementary teacher while avoiding further elementary cuts.
Dombeck also warned that final state funding numbers remain uncertain, noting the special‑education payment is a "wild card" and that legislative action on compensatory funding cannot be assumed. He said ADSIS funding cuts are off the table for next year but added that program and requirement increases continue to outpace funding growth.
The board did not take a final policy vote; rather, members directed administration to move forward with the preferred mix — removing the elementary vacancy from the prioritized reduction list and advancing the remainder of List A along with identified non‑staff savings — and return with detailed budget numbers. The special meeting adjourned at 6:32 p.m.
