Washoe County School District adopts $1.4 billion FY 2026–27 budget; preserves kindergarten assistants and class-size gains

The Washoe County School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved the district’s FY 2026–27 final budget on May 26, adopting a structurally balanced $1.4 billion plan that the administration said addresses a multi-year shortfall driven largely by low state per-pupil funding and enrollment declines.

Chief Financial Officer Mark Mathers told trustees the budget process began early and included a range of reduction strategies. He said the largest driver of the original shortfall was state funding: "base per pupil funding from the state increased less than 1% for this coming fiscal year," he said, adding that contractual obligations and inflation pushed the district toward a multi-million-dollar gap during earlier modeling.

The final budget preserves several priorities the board highlighted during the process: the district will fund 79 kindergarten early learning assistant positions for one additional year (a combination of a state grant award for 36 seats and district fund balance for the remainder), reduced kindergarten class sizes from 25 to 23 by leveling K–3 allocations, funded step increases and health insurance increases for employees, and added $4.1 million for special education positions required by IEPs. The budget also includes a one-time $1,000 stipend for certified staff (a $3.6 million allocation) and preserves strong debt-service reserves, the CFO said.

Deputy Chief of Finance Jeff Bazo explained fund-balance projections: the district expects a FY27 ending general fund balance of roughly $65.7 million (about 9.7% of the general fund), a drawdown from the board policy target of 12%. Bazo said staff anticipate some additional local revenue and planned annual comprehensive financial reporting; trustees asked staff to return with post-close actuals.

Public comment during the required hearing raised concerns about device and software spending and student screen time (public commenter John Epaleo) and urged state funding changes (Kayn Evans, Washoe Education Association). Trustees pressed for clarity on vendor guarantees tied to nutrition services (the district’s vendor guaranteed a surplus to offset current-year deficits) and noted the urgency of state-level funding decisions that shape district capacity.

Trustee Phoenix moved to approve the final budget; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The district must submit the final budget to the state by the June 8 deadline and staff said they will return to trustees with audited results after fiscal close.