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Superintendent warns of multi‑million‑dollar shortfall as enrollment falls
Summary
The superintendent told the Coquille SD 8 board that declining enrollment and lower state funding create a budget gap requiring staff resizing, targeted spending slowdowns and potential capital decisions such as a boiler RFP.
The superintendent presented a detailed budget briefing that tied a recent enrollment decline directly to a multi‑million‑dollar shortfall, urging the board to prepare for staffing adjustments and targeted spending slowdowns.
The superintendent said the district’s average daily membership fell from 1,275 in 2023–24 to 1,183 so far this year and that the district has 339 interdistrict transfers choosing Coquille. He walked the board through the math showing an 87‑student net shortfall (70 students below budgeted plus a 17‑student shortfall) that, at the state’s per‑student rate cited in the presentation ($11,940), “That is 1,038,700,” he said. The superintendent added that projected roll‑up costs total about $21,361,000 while revenue projections (state, local and other) were presented near $19,981,000, leaving a notable gap.
Why it matters: staffing is the largest district cost (the superintendent said roughly 75% of the budget goes to personnel), and the administration said it expects to propose a right‑sizing plan for next year. The presentation included a breakdown of school‑level FTEs that would reduce total district FTE from about 179 two years ago to an estimated 161.45 next year if enrollment holds.
The superintendent and finance staff listed revenue lines: an estimated $2,824,000 in property tax under current caps, ~$230,000 in investment income, $28,000 in admissions and several other smaller sources; they also said depreciation proceeds from the new transportation facility will produce about $54,000 per year for the next 20 years for transportation use. The administration reported deliberate spending slowing in January that cut credit‑card expenses roughly in half.
The superintendent also raised facilities pressures in the budget discussion, pointing to a repeatedly failing high‑school boiler and the need for an RFP and firm replacement estimate. He indicated a placeholder of about $350,000 for a full replacement and said repeated emergency repairs this winter had already cost the district thousands.
Next steps: the superintendent said staff would finalize a plan and bring return items to the board (the budget committee meets May 13 with subsequent readings and a public hearing before a June adoption).
