La Center School District #101

Context for the board: The fiscal year closed essentially on plan. August brought in $3.56M of revenue — the final state apportionment of $2.03M plus $1.46M of state special purpose grant reimbursements — against $2.14M of spending, adding $1.42M to fund balance in a single month. The General Fund finished with $2,397,798, within $29,987 (1.2%) of the budgeted $2,427,785, and unassigned fund balance recovered to $2,060,620, roughly 6.9% of annual expenditures. Special Education ($942K over) and CTE ($439K over) exceeded their program appropriations, but total General Fund expenditures came in $2,015,139 under the total appropriation, so the fund remained within its legal spending authority. These are preliminary figures subject to year-end accrual adjustment and audit.

Note: Summer building work accelerated in August — $276,397 was paid during the month, more than half of the year's total cash outlay, with $204,468 still encumbered as projects finish. Against the revised $1,138,000 appropriation the fund used 63.5%. Revenue finished at 57.6% of budget because impact fee receipts ran below the $680,000 forecast. The ending balance of $1,270,814 is entirely restricted: $947,585 impact fee proceeds, $322,259 bond proceeds, and $971 nonspendable.

Note: No debt payments were due in August — all FY 2025-26 principal and interest was retired in June. The fund collected a further $19,147 in late levy receipts and interest during the month. Levy collections finished at 103.0% of budget and investment earnings at 278.2%, so the fund closes the year with $1,744,308 restricted for debt service, well above the $359,967 budgeted.

Note: August added $13,370 of revenue against $4,159 of expenditures. For the year, ASB revenues of $336,987 exceeded expenditures of $303,659, increasing fund balance by $33,329. Athletics spending ($189,776) again ran ahead of athletics revenue ($173,459), offset by the General Student Body category, which collected $108,756 against $49,980 spent. The class and club budgets were set well above actual activity and are candidates for right-sizing in the FY 2026-27 ASB budget.

Year-end story for the board: The recovery forecast in June and confirmed in July completed in August. The final apportionment of $2.03M plus $1.46M of state special purpose grant reimbursements lifted the General Fund balance from $968,688 to $2,397,798 — within 1.2% of the budgeted $2,427,785 — and returned unassigned fund balance to $2,060,620. The seasonal trough in June was a cash-timing pattern, not a structural deficit. Two items carry into the FY 2026-27 budget conversation: Special Education finished $942,198 over its appropriation and CTE $439,038 over, both absorbed within the total General Fund appropriation but both signaling that the FY 2026-27 program budgets for these areas need to be built closer to actual staffing and service levels. Sources: June, July and August 2026 Budget Status Reports.