Dear BISD Community, 

Yay — we made it to Winter Break!

Thank you for staying engaged with BISD’s Budget Challenges (November 15, 2024 Message and October 23, 2024 Message) and for submitting questions for the budget FAQ section on our website. 

While our budget picture is difficult for this school year, next school year, and likely 2026-27 as well, we also are grateful to actually know where our true bottom line is so that we can make an action plan that does not continually change due to finding budget “surprises.” We are committed to remaining the relational, caring, collaborative, student-centered district that we are proud of and finding ways to create a balanced budget and regain financial stability now and in the future.

When we return from Winter Break in January, we will hold various focus groups for staff, community and students. For context, I want to share the following key points to help frame the conversations. 

• BISD would end this year at a projected negative fund balance if we did nothing to change our current expenditures. As our budget currently stands, after making mid-year corrections, we are projected to end the 2024-25 school year at -$35,398. This number changes on a regular basis as new or unexpected expenses arise. We continuously look for ways to close the budget gap so we do not end in the negative. There are minimal district-level budgets from which we can pull in order to offset any unexpected/new expenses.
• Due to our non-existent fund balance and how we receive State Apportionment (20% in July and August) and Safety Net funding (September of the following school year), we are going to need to take up to 3 inter-fund loans from the Capital Fund this year to have enough cash on hand (i.e. cash flow) in order to make payroll. 
• By January 2025, DBAC will make an initial recommendation for the dollar amount we need to reduce ahead of the 2025-26 school year.