WILLMAR — The Willmar School Board may have to cut nearly $2 million from the budget for the 2023-24 school year.
That would be about 3% to 4% of the budget. Final decisions about the cuts are expected to be made in April.
Superintendent Jeff Holm spoke with the board at its meeting Monday about the reason for the cuts and the process that will be used to make the choices.
During the pandemic, enrollment fell, rebounded slightly last year and has fallen again this year. State aid is tied to student numbers.
In addition, inflation has outpaced the state aid for years.
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Government support has been promised but only partially delivered to help pay for special education and English Learner programs. Regardless, schools have a legal and moral responsibility to provide the programs, even when they stretch the budget, Holm said.
Holm also laid out a timeline for the budget planning.
A task force of a cross-section of the community has started meeting to provide input to the district’s administrators and the school board, he said. Those meetings should wrap up in March.
The board’s Finance Committee will meet in February and March, while school administrators work to keep staff members informed.
Board action would be expected in April ahead of setting the budget in June for 2023-24.
The district’s budget for the current school year estimates revenue of $62.5 million and expenditures of $67.6 million. It was set in June last year, a state requirement, which is before grants and other revenue is known.
The budget for the current year will be revised this spring with updated information
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