Budget work session: board vows to cover SRO shortfall; proposes elementary in-school suspension and other priorities

Finance staff presented the final revisions to the FY2026–27 budget and a list of near-term priorities, saying the General Assembly’s final budget increased the state compensation supplement to 4% and added infrastructure and sales-tax adjustments that left the division with modest additional operating funds. Susan Peterson reviewed revenue changes and several grants and donations to be added into the revised budget.

A major topic was a county request for help replacing a lost SRO grant. Board members expressed unanimous support for maintaining school-resource officers in buildings and said the division will absorb the cost rather than lose SRO coverage. Peterson confirmed the division will "absorb this, into our budget because we do think it's important."

Staff also highlighted a tier-1 priority to establish an elementary in-school suspension (ISS) program with 16 instructional assistants trained in behavioral science to provide regulated, instructional support and keep students in school. Additional budget additions proposed included $200,000 for diesel price protection, $150,000 for a division-wide facility study to reimagine the CIP, $100,000 per year to comply with an unfunded indoor-air-quality mandate (House Bill 2618), and targeted increases for custodial contracts, BCBAs and other operational items. Staff outlined the near-term schedule: the board will be asked to adopt the budget at the next work session, present it to the board of supervisors on Sept. 8 and request ordinance adoption Sept. 22.