Budget committee adopts 2025–26 budget; members warn state revenue shortfall and declining enrollment could force cuts

The Astoria School District budget committee approved the district's proposed 2025–26 budget and authorized a debt-service levy after a meeting that focused on a weaker-than-expected state revenue forecast and concerns about declining student enrollment.

Miss Lambert, speaking as district staff, told the committee the proposed certified and administrative staffing level is 18.9 full-time equivalents (FTE) for 2025–26 compared with 18.7 this year and that proposed special-education staff FTE is 69.34 versus 74.46 in the current year. "Our certified, slash admin, FTE is 18.9," she said, and noted that classified instructional assistants and bus drivers are included in the classified counts.

Lambert said she included an estimated potential salary increase in the draft budget to reflect ongoing negotiations, and that the apparent decline in total salary lines is driven by reductions in staff head count. She warned the May 14 state revenue forecast was "not what everyone was hoping," and said earlier expectations of funding "at 11.4" may not be met. "Because of that, there are concerns about the Student Investment Account and the High School Success Act grants, and to shore those up they would have to dig into reserves," Lambert said.

Committee members asked how the district will proceed if final state revenue figures come in lower than assumed. Lambert and others said a budget must be adopted before final state numbers and explained that if in-year changes exceed 10% of the total budget the matter would return to the budget committee and the full board; smaller adjustments are handled administratively.

Staff and committee members also detailed tracking and outreach to students who leave the district. One member said roughly 200 students were recorded as having left; staff described a follow-up plan that includes initial contact and additional follow-up calls months later to try to re-enroll families. Committee members cited housing shortages and charter-school enrollment as likely factors in the district's enrollment loss and urged a targeted effort to understand and reverse the trend. "We track every student that has left," a committee member said, noting the district aims to increase outreach and ‘‘amplify some of the stats’’ to inform retention strategies.

On formal actions, a committee member moved to approve the 2025–26 budget with fund-level amounts read into the record: general fund $28,220,000; special revenue funds $8,673,492; debt service $6,773,450; capital projects $150,000. The committee voted to approve the budget. (The line-item amounts sum to $43,816,942.)

The committee also approved a permanent tax rate for the general fund (amount not clearly specified in the transcript) and authorized a debt-service levy of $4,675,000 to service the district's general-obligation bonds; that motion passed.

The committee scheduled the next budget hearing for June 11, 2025, at the same location. The meeting adjourned after routine closing items.

What happens next: staff said the district will continue outreach to families who left, monitor the state revenue outlook, and—if revenue falls short—return to the budget committee and board if adjustments exceed the required threshold.