Business manager outlines Adams‑Friendship Area School District's 2026–27 budget priorities

Alexander Muir, the district's business manager, presented the Adams‑Friendship Area School District's proposed 2026–27 budget and said the plan focuses on aligning resources to board policies and "leverag[ing] every dollar that we can for student success inside and outside of our classroom." Muir opened the public presentation by noting the budget publication had been run in the newspaper as required.

Muir placed the budget in context of a statewide decline in public‑school enrollment of 5.8% since fall 2019 and said the district's official 2026–27 count will be finalized after the third‑Friday count in September. He cited the district's current enrollment as 1,373 and said the district's revenue limit per pupil is increasing, with the presentation showing a rise that includes a $3.25 per‑pupil allotment carried from earlier years.

On the expense side, Muir said the board‑approved base wage increase is 2.63% and credited recent changes to the district's health insurance plan for holding premiums flat this year. He identified transportation as a growing cost driver—an approximately $300,000 increase tied to the bus vendor and fuel—and noted the budget includes a $250,000 transfer into the capital projects fund that cannot be accessed for five years. Muir also pointed to the district's fund balance policy (No. 6235) and said the current fund balance removes the immediate need for short‑term borrowing.

The board followed with questions about program priorities and long‑term sustainability. Muir said the budget work is a forecast and that the formal levy and final numbers will be certified in October after state and local counts are complete.