District Update: Budget, Enrollment & Boundary Analysis

Following our recent board meeting and work sessions, we want to share a few important updates on the work happening across our district. 

First, we would like to welcome Audrey Moeller. We are pleased to announce Director Moeller as the newest member of our Board of Education. Director Moeller was appointed to fill the vacant board seat and will serve through the next school board election in November 2027.

We also want to sincerely thank all of the community members who applied for the position. We appreciate the time each applicant took to participate in the process and share their interest in serving our students, schools, and community.

Planning for FY28 and Beyond
The Board held a work session on September 15 focused on long-term financial planning and the district’s financial picture in FY28 and beyond. As part of this planning, we know future budget adjustments will require us to look broadly at three areas: people, programs, and buildings.

The discussion focused on several factors that will determine the level of adjustments needed, including enrollment, state funding, revenues, expenses, and our overall financial health. Enrollment is especially important because it directly impacts the funding we receive, while equally important, Supplemental State Aid (SSA) determines how much per-student funding will increase each year.

While several of these variables are still unknown, the board directed us to assume a 1% increase in SSA and a low enrollment projection. Under those assumptions, the district currently estimates that approximately $13.8 million in budget reductions are needed for FY28.

This is a planning estimate, not a final budget reduction amount. This work will continue to evolve as enrollment and state funding information becomes clearer throughout the year.  The district’s work in this area is also guided by two important measures of long-term financial stability: (1) healthy levels of cash reserves; and (2) Unspent Authorized Budget (UAB). View the FY28 Resource Planning presentation here.

Enrollment Analysis & Attendance Area Planning
The Board approved the membership structure for our Boundary Analysis Community Committee (Community Committee), which will bring together parents, students, staff, administrators, and community representatives from across the district. View the Community Committee makeup here.

At the October 6 board meeting, the board will discuss expanding the committee to include parent/guardian representatives from our middle and high schools, in addition to the elementary parent/guardian representatives already included in the committee structure.

The district has also contracted with RSP & Associates to conduct an updated enrollment analysis and comprehensive review of our attendance areas. This work will help us understand where enrollment is growing or declining, how our buildings are being utilized, and how our attendance areas can best support students and schools into the future.

This work is also connected to our broader financial planning. While additional budget adjustments will be necessary in the coming years, those decisions will be guided by the Community Committee's work, feedback gathered throughout the process, and key financial and enrollment data, including student enrollment projections and state funding levels.

Community input will be an important part of the process. Families, staff, students, and community members will have opportunities to review potential scenarios, ask questions, and provide feedback before bringing recommendations to the board. We will continue to share information as this work moves forward.

The current timeline includes:

• September: Board workshops to establish criteria and guiding principles
• October: Enrollment forecasts developed for each school
• October through December: Community committee reviews data and develops potential scenarios
• January: Three community input nights, along with a districtwide survey and online feedback opportunity
• February: Community committee reviews feedback and develops a recommendation for board consideration

Boundary Analysis Guiding Principles
The Board also held a work session on September 24 with RSP & Associates to establish the guiding principles that will help shape the work of the Community Committee over the next several months.

The guiding principles are intended to provide a consistent framework for evaluating potential scenarios. In summary, they call for the process to:

• Support the district’s broader goal of creating sustainable, recurring savings, recognizing that facility decisions are one part of a larger strategy that also includes programs and staffing.
• Use current and projected enrollment, building capacity, and where students live to determine how well our elementary facilities align with future needs.
• Focus primarily on elementary schools and non-student-serving buildings, while also allowing consideration of middle and high school facilities, including opportunities for consolidation and more effective use of district capacity beginning in 2027-28.
• Maintain or improve educational opportunities and the overall student experience.
• Consider long-term enrollment and development trends rather than focusing only on current conditions.
• Minimize unnecessary student transitions and preserve logical school communities when possible.
• Consider neighborhood continuity, transportation, walkability, geographic barriers, future development, and the creation of sustainable attendance areas.
• Evaluate any potential facility closing using consistent factors such as enrollment, capacity, facility condition, location, operational savings, transportation impacts, and the ability of nearby schools to serve additional students.
• Develop legacy and student transition options for Board consideration in accordance with Board policy.

These principles will now help guide the Boundary Analysis Community Committee as it reviews data, considers potential scenarios, and prepares recommendations for the Board. View the Establishment of Boundary Criteria & Guiding Principles presentation here.

Organizational Effectiveness & Compensation Reviews
Finally, the Board has authorized the district to pursue contracts with two external partners to support a broader review of how the district is organized and how we compensate and support our employees.

LeanFrog will conduct an Organizational Effectiveness Review to evaluate the district’s organizational structure, staffing, operations, and use of resources. The goal of this work is to identify opportunities to operate more effectively and ensure our resources are aligned with the needs of students and schools.

Cottingham & Butler/Total Rewards Consulting will conduct a Compensation and Benefits Review. This work will evaluate our current compensation and benefits structure and provide information to help us understand how our total compensation compares with the broader market.

Both reviews will provide important data and recommendations as we consider future financial decisions. Together with our enrollment and attendance area work, these reviews will help ensure we are taking a comprehensive look at our schools, staffing, programs, and resources as we plan for the future.

Upcoming Meetings

• October 6, 4:30 p.m. - Board Work Session
• October 6, 6:30 p.m. - Regular Board Meeting (rescheduled from September 22)

Meeting agendas, supporting materials, and additional information will continue to be available on Simbli and our district website.

We know these conversations matter to our entire school community. We remain committed to sharing information openly, providing opportunities for community input, and keeping students at the center of the decisions ahead.