St. Paul school board OKs $1 billion budget for 2026
The St. Paul Public Schools board of education unanimously approved a $1 billion budget for the upcoming school year on Tuesday. An estimated $51.1 million budget shortfall is to be covered by $35.5 million in reserve funds and $15.6 million in budget cuts and new revenue under the budget.
Of the overall budget reductions, 74%, or $11.5 million, come from cuts in central office departments – 8% of the district's total budget – including Schools and Learning, administration and operations and financial services, human resources and equity, strategy and innovation. Those departments will have cuts in staffing, contracts and vendor services, travel and supplies and service levels.
Feedback this year from the community and board members encouraged district officials to look toward central office administration when making reductions, said Jackie Turner, executive chief of administration and operations.
'And we heard that as, stay away from the schools as much as you can,' Turner said. 'And I believe that the budget you see tonight does all of those things.'
Drawing from the district's fund balance for the budget shortfall will maintain programs and services as much as possible, district officials said. They attribute the shortfall to state funding not keeping pace with inflation in the past 20 years and increased expenses. They also acknowledged that future adjustments may need to be made to the budget.
During its May meeting, the board approved a resolution directing the district administration to prepare a November referendum recommendation for additional district revenue. Ballot language is expected to come before the board in July.
The results of that referendum and as well as changes to enrollment may necessitate future budget adjustments, according to district officials.
'But I do hope that folks in our community who had concerns about the budget and the way that we're spending money, maybe there was something they cared about … that they will continue to speak to us if the concerns that they had bear out to be true,' board member Uriah Ward said.
While the board passed an approximately $1 billion budget last year — this year's budget is around $8 million less — board members praised the increase in transparency this time around.
Key components of the budget are construction and debt service, said district budget chief Tom Sager. The district's capital projects fund is $118.9 million.
Additional revenue will not only include the proposed referendum, but also potential reductions in the district's facilities portfolio, said SPPS Superintendent Stacie Stanley.
Some changes to the approved budget since the board's May meeting include $543,000 added from the general fund to reinstate some positions and programming in Early Childhood Family Education, or ECFE — a voluntary program for parents and their children below the age for kindergarten enrollment. Parents and community members in April had spoken against previously proposed cuts to the program. $60,000 was also added to the budget for student engagement support.
St. Paul Central students design a mascot to represent everyone
St. Paul's Maxfield Elementary breaks ground on 'community schoolyard'
SPPS: New Superintendent Stacie Stanley begins first week with district
St. Paul Public Schools narrows achievement gap in 2024 graduation rates
St. Paul schools hit pre-COVID graduation levels, state reaches record high
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
$1.8 million awarded to Dayton airport for runway rehab
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — More than $1.8 million in federal funds will go toward the Dayton International Airport. Congressman Mike Turner announced that $1,812,000 has been awarded to the James M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY). This funding is provided through the FAA's Airport Improvement Program. Funding will go toward refurbishing taxiway lighting at the Dayton Airport, as well as rehabilitate parts of the taxiway to minimize debris and to extend the life of the taxiway. 'This federal investment for Dayton International Airport underscores the critical role our airport plays in the economic impact to the Miami Valley region,' said Turner. 'The funding from the FAA will allow DAY to make the necessary renovations to extend the longevity of its taxiways for years to come.' Turner also announced $462,560 will go to the Greene County Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport (GDK) to reseal parts of the airport terminal and tiedown apron to extend the useful life of the facilities. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Fuller's hiked pint prices after staff costs soared
The boss of pub firm Fuller's has said the group hiked the price of a pint of beer by about 15p across its bars after being hit with £8 million in extra staff costs. Fuller, Smith & Turner chief executive Simon Emeny said the firm raised prices at the end of March in response to the Chancellor's tax raid in last October's Budget, which saw employers' national insurance contributions (NICs) increase from April. In a double whammy for firms, they also faced another rise in the minimum wage from April, with pubs and hospitality companies among the worst hit. Mr Emeny told the PA news agency that Fuller's has looked to be 'sensitive' with price increases, to 'make sure that going to the pub remains an affordable treat'. He said the group would keep its pricing 'under review' over the rest of the year. The group is the latest to raise the cost of a pint as pub chains look to offset soaring staff bills. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) recently said the average price of a pint of beer would surge past £5 for the first time because of cost hikes hitting the sector. The BBPA said the average cost of a pint in the UK is expected to rise by about 21p as a result. But Fuller's boss Emeny said the firm could not offset the cost impact with price increases alone. The group, which has about 5,500 staff, is doubling down on investment in its bars and staff training, to drive sales higher, which it hopes will counter the extra costs. 'Six months down the line and I don't think price increases are the only answer. It has to come through higher sales,' he said. But he said the consumer spending outlook would be sensitive to the interest rate outlook, and whether the Government moved to increase personal taxes. The comments came as Fuller's posted a 32% jump in underlying pre-tax profits to £27 million for the year to March 29. Like-for-like sales rose 5.2%, and the group said growth had continued into the first 10 weeks of the new financial year, albeit at a more muted rate of 4.2%. It also announced that its chairman of 18 years, Michael Turner, a member of one of the three founding families, will retire at the group's annual general meeting in July, after a 47-year career with the group. He will be replaced by Mr Emeny, who will become executive chairman, the first person to take the role who is not a member of the founding families. Fred Turner will be promoted from retail director to chief operating officer. A number of other founding family members remain on the board, including non-executive directors Sir James Fuller and Richard Fuller. On his final set of full-year figures for the group, the outgoing chairman said it had been an 'excellent' past year. Mr Turner added: 'This strong performance has been achieved despite the business operating in a challenging and, at times volatile, economic environment. 'The geopolitical situation has caused uncertainty in global markets and the decisions made by the Chancellor in her October budget hit the sector hard and reduced confidence in hospitality stocks.' An outspoken critic of the move to raise national insurance contributions (NICs) from April, Mr Turner said: 'The changes to national insurance contributions took everyone by surprise and I fear it could be terminal for a number of smaller operators in our market.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Fuller's hiked pint prices after staff costs soared
The boss of pub firm Fuller's has said the group hiked the price of a pint of beer by abut 15p across its bars after being hit with £8 million in extra staff costs. Fuller, Smith & Turner chief executive Simon Emeny said the firm raised prices at the end of March in response to the Chancellor's tax raid in last October's Budget, which saw employers' national insurance contributions (NICs) increase from April. In a double whammy for firms, they also faced another rise in the minimum wage from April, with pubs and hospitality companies among the worst hit. Mr Emeny told the PA news agency that Fuller's has looked to be 'sensitive' with price increases, to 'make sure that going to the pub remains an affordable treat'. He said the group would keep its pricing 'under review' over the rest of the year. The group is the latest to raise the cost of a pint as pub chains look to offset soaring staff bills. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) recently said the average price of a pint of beer would surge past £5 for the first time because of cost hikes hitting the sector. The BBPA said the average cost of a pint in the UK is expected to rise by about 21p as a result. But Fuller's boss Emeny said the firm could not offset the cost impact with price increases alone. The group, which has about 5,500 staff, is doubling down on investment in its bars and staff training, to drive sales higher, which it hopes will counter the extra costs. 'Six months down the line and I don't think price increases are the only answer. It has to come through higher sales,' he said. But he said the consumer spending outlook would be sensitive to the interest rate outlook, and whether the Government moved to increase personal taxes. The comments came as Fuller's posted a 32% jump in underlying pre-tax profits to £27 million for the year to March 29. Like-for-like sales rose 5.2%, and the group said growth had continued into the first 10 weeks of the new financial year, albeit at a more muted rate of 4.2%. It also announced that its chairman of 18 years, Michael Turner, a member of one of the three founding families, will retire at the group's annual general meeting in July, after a 47-year career with the group. He will be replaced by Mr Emeny, who will become executive chairman, the first person to take the role who is not a member of the founding families. Fred Turner will be promoted from retail director to chief operating officer. A number of other founding family members remain on the board, including non-executive directors Sir James Fuller and Richard Fuller. On his final set of full-year figures for the group, the outgoing chairman said it had been an 'excellent' past year. Mr Turner added: 'This strong performance has been achieved despite the business operating in a challenging and, at times volatile, economic environment. 'The geopolitical situation has caused uncertainty in global markets and the decisions made by the Chancellor in her October budget hit the sector hard and reduced confidence in hospitality stocks.' An outspoken critic of the move to raise national insurance contributions (NICs) from April, Mr Turner said: 'The changes to national insurance contributions took everyone by surprise and I fear it could be terminal for a number of smaller operators in our market.'
