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Board temporarily lowers fund-balance policy to 6.5% to ease 2026-27 budget planning
Summary
Facing a projected ending fund balance below its 8% policy, the Gresham-Barlow board ratified Resolution 2026-10 to allow a temporary 6.5% ending fund balance with an annual review; finance staff estimated the 1.5% reduction equals about $1.3 million.
The Gresham-Barlow School District board voted unanimously to ratify Resolution 2026-10, temporarily suspending Board Policy DBDB's 8% ending fund balance requirement and allowing the ending fund balance to be 6.5% for the upcoming budget year.
Chair Blake Petersen introduced the resolution, describing it as a pragmatic step to provide staff latitude while they finalize the budget. Director of Finance Pete Bejarano told the board the 1.5 percentage-point difference between 8% and 6.5% equates to roughly $1.3 million for the current year; staff said they will add a footnote and bring the temporary change to the policy committee for documentation and annual review.
The motion (Motion 87) carried 7-0. Board discussion focused on recording the suspension appropriately in policy documents and on returning to the prior threshold in future budget cycles. The change is procedural and intended to give staff limited flexibility while maintaining an obligation to revisit the fund-balance target during the next budget process.
