Holdingford school district faces $336,000 projected deficit; superintendent reviewing staffing cuts

Business Manager Garrity Gerber presented the district's FY 25-26 revised budget forecast and told the board that, without spending reductions, the FY 26-27 budget projects a $336,000 deficit.

Superintendent Chris Swenson said he has met with principals to assess staffing needs and identify potential positions that could be reduced. Swenson reminded the board that some funding is restricted to specific uses and cannot be reallocated across budget silos (for example, facility maintenance funds cannot be used for teacher salaries). He asked board members to contact him with questions or concerns as staff prepare recommendations.

Separately, Chair Lori Opatz reported that four board members attended a superintendent evaluation seminar at the MSBA conference and recommended using sample form #3; the board agreed by consensus to begin the evaluation process before the end of the school year and to provide input to the chair.

The meeting adjourned at 8:39 PM on a motion by Ben Christensen, seconded by Nicole Burg; the board recorded the motion as carried with "All in favor."