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Board approves 2025–26 1st interim budget after hearing on reserves and projections
Summary
The San Isabel Union High School District board approved its 2025–26 1st interim budget and multiyear projections after a presentation showing modest revenue gains, restricted grant increases, and caution about negotiation costs and cash-flow needs for this basic-aid district.
The San Isabel Union High School District Board of Education voted to approve the 2025–26 1st interim budget and multiyear projections following a detailed presentation by district business staff.
Alicia, the district's business presenter, told trustees the district recorded an overall revenue increase of about 4.3% (roughly $784,271), with unrestricted revenue up about 3% (approximately $520,000) and restricted revenue driven largely by a one-time student-success and professional-development block grant of $234,899. She cautioned that the apparent $151,000 surplus at 1st interim did not reflect as-yet-unfinalized negotiation costs and therefore the budget could show a deficit when those expenditures were added.
"We have a $151,000 left over after we pay all of our bills. We're good," Alicia said during the presentation, but immediately added context that the surplus does not include pending negotiation costs and other items that will appear at 2nd interim.
In the presentation staff also described one-time and recurring expense changes: a district-funded staff bonus (partly paid from excess funds), settled classified negotiations that adjusted the salary schedule, a $42,000 Chromebook purchase to unify student devices and avoid tariffs, $30,000 added for textbook adoptions, and roughly $2.0 million in one-time spending for classroom charging stations intended to support the 1:1 device program.
Board members pressed for additional detail on year-over-year deficits and unaudited actuals; staff agreed to return with further detail when unaudited actuals are available. Trustees approved the budget and projections by roll call (four ayes).The board also opened and closed the statutorily required public hearing on excess reserves and approved the district's excess reserves report for 2025–26 through 2027–28.
Why it matters: As a basic-aid district that receives large property-tax payments in lumps rather than monthly state apportionments, San Isabel must balance a higher minimum cash reserve to cover costs through months with low revenue inflows. The budget vote affirms the district's ongoing deficit-reduction plan and creates a schedule for follow-up reporting on negotiations and multiyear impacts.
