District presents proposed 2026–27 budget; presenter says proposed Fund 199 expenditures about $92.99 million

Cliff, presenting the district's proposed 2026–27 budget at the July 20 workshop, walked trustees through revenue assumptions, object-code expenditures and the district's planning timeline. He said the district began budget planning in January 2026 and provided a line-by-line view of functions and object codes that drive spending, including instruction, campus leadership, guidance, transportation, extracurriculars and maintenance.

Cliff stated that "This year, our total for 199 funds expenditures is proposed to be $92,985,120," and explained that salaries and benefits account for roughly 82% of the Fund 199 budget. He reported an estimated fund draw or deficit of $172,788 for the fund and said the district anticipates revenues roughly consistent with 2025–26 (guidance from Region 12 was cited). Trustees pressed for comparisons with the adopted 2025–26 budget and discussed a June resolution that freed one-time funds (referenced as $2.7M returning to the budget and a potential $5.4M figure), which trustees said had helped reduce the projected deficit. The board and staff confirmed a 3% salary raise in the draft and discussed how the proposed budget would reduce the previously reported deficit of about $358,000 to the current figure presented.

No final budget adoption occurred during the workshop; staff said the board will review, discuss and adopt the budget and tax rate at upcoming meetings. Trustees requested follow-up materials and clarified that some slide figures and the presenter’s spreadsheet may contain typographical differences that staff will reconcile.