School Dist. approves FY2026 budget

Published by admin on Tue, 06/17/2025 - 7:00pm
By: 
Nancy Grindstaff
Weiser School District’s Board of Trustees approved a FY26 total budget of $15,818,070 for the coming school year, a figure that is $769,308 less than last year.
 The total general fund budget of $15,818,070 anticipates an ending balance of $1,748,861 and spending through the year at $14,069,209.  
 Included in the district’s year end current balances are monies from the state’s 10-year school modernization dollars received during the past school year, targeted to a list of capital improvements needed in the district’s four aging buildings.
 Underway now are roof replacements at Weiser High’s main building and auxiliary gym, and another at Pioneer School, plus a new floor and revamp in the WHS main gymnasium.
 The Trustees started Monday’s, June 9, meeting by first approving an amended 2024-25 budget. District Deputy Clerk Barbara Choate explained the reasoning behind the action.
 “So, we ended FY 24 with $2.9 million and started FY 25 with $2.9 million,” Choate said. “You’ll see there was a significant difference in what we budgeted for local revenue versus what we received. Truly, just the actual activity of what has happened.”
 Choate reminded the Board that local revenues include levy dollars, but she had moved that local revenue line item to state revenues after receipts resulting from the 2024 passage of HB 292 surpassed the first $750,000 of a two-year levy with $783,000.
 As early as last November, Choate told the Trustees to expect lower student enrollment numbers for the 2025-26 school year.
 “This year we had 1,461 students at that first reporting period,” she said. “We graduated 139 seniors and we’re only bringing in 90 kindergartners. We have no way to determine if we are going to grow in each one of the individual grades between those.”
 Running an estimated 1,409 students through the state’s funding formula with a 95 percent average daily attendance, Choate said they are budgeting conservatively on 70 units for next year.
 At the same time, the District just converted WSD’s teacher pay scale to the state’s career ladder. 
 “We’re trying to give our teachers a really good salary increase this year, and move WSD to the state’s career ladder,” Choate said. “It’s not only a funding mechanism, but also a payment mechanism. With that reduction in student population, we are reducing seven teachers and four teaching assistants.”
 Choate said another number that stands out on the budget is $699,000 transferred out of the general fund.
 “Indianhead Academy’s money is part of the general fund, Next year we’re anticipating it costing $171,537,” Choate said. 
 Although the school’s technology is funded at the state level, Choate said it isn’t enough.
 “We need to purchase an additional 400 chromebooks next year,” she said. “They have a 4- to 5-year life cycle and at that point their security isn’t updated anymore. With students taking tests, and identified on there, we don’t want a computer that doesn’t have a security system supporting it. So, we’re going to buy 400 replacements ($160,000).
 “Our Special Education Medicaid reimbursements from the federal government are reducing, but we are still required by law to provide services to all of our special needs students,” Choate said. “Our expenses are greatly exceeding what the Medicaid federal reimbursement is, so the general fund is funding that ($100,000).”
 Choate went on explaining student food services as another area where the federal government reimbursement isn’t keeping up with the cost.
 “Our reimbursement is only covering about two-thirds of the cost of preparing the meal,” she said. “Because that’s a shortfall from what it’s costing us, we’re expecting $183k to have to come from the general fund in order to support food services next year.
 “We will move at least $85,000 to bus depreciation,” Choate said. “State law requires bus depreciation be reserved and used only for the purchase of a new bus and we receive a declining 12-year depreciation formula.”
 Choate said each new bus is depreciated over a 12-year period of time, and the funds generated from the depreciation schedule must be moved to and held for bus purchases in a specific fund. 
 The district orders a new bus annually, and that same evening Transportation Supervisor May West requested approval to order the next one.
 “Bus production is running about 18 months out,” West said. “So, we order one now to have it come in for the 2026-27 school year. The quote I got is $168,000.”
 West said there’s a bus ordered earlier that was supposed to be here in September, but it will be February instead.
 “The one that’s still coming, they added $2,500 for a tariff fee,” West reported.
 After giving the FY26 an unanimous approval, the Board approved West’s bus order request.
 

 

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18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
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