Dear Weld RE-4 Community,
The Board of Education approved the 2024 - 2025 budget on June 17, 2024. As part of our commitment to transparency, we wanted to share with you a high-level overview.
Revenue
- Per Pupil Revenue — The state legislature increased our main source of funding, Per Pupil Revenue, from $10,092 to $10,791. Additionally, we received a 2% increase in Per Pupil Funding for our preschool students through the Universal Preschool Program. We are still considered “floor funded,” which means we are among the least funded eight districts in the entire state.
- 2022 Bond and Mill Levy Override — We continue to collect locally-supported tax revenue in the “Debt Service Fund” to support bond debt repayment. Thank you to our community for investing in our schools in November 2022. Your investment is coming to life across the district.
Expenditures
- Instructional Support — The majority of our General Fund expenses continue to be in the form of staff salary and benefits (84%). Viewed through a different lens, we are proud to report that 70% of our total expenses are allocated directly to instruction and instructional support.
- Recruitment & Retention — With the opening of the two new elementary schools in the fall, we have shifted staff across the district to serve students in alignment with the changes from the new school boundaries. We added the equivalent of 34.2 full-time positions across the district, the majority of which are non-transferable positions for the new schools, including a new School Resource Officer for our Windsor schools. We appreciate the commitment and partnership with the Town of Windsor in our efforts to keep our students safe.
- Facility Projects — Projects for the 2022 bond measure are underway. The bond website is updated monthly with the status of each project. The two elementary schools will open this fall and the new middle school is on track to open in fall 2025.
New School Finance Formula
The Colorado Legislature passed SB 24-188 and HB 24-1448 at the end of this year’s session, which included a new school finance formula that goes into effect for 2025 - 2026. While this is a step in the right direction, it does not address inadequacies in Per Pupil base funding. Our Finance Team is working to understand the comprehensive impact on our financial future. We will share more in the coming months.
For complete information on our budget and school funding, visit our Financial Transparency or School Funding pages.
Sincerely,
Michelle Scallon
Superintendent
Nikki Schmidt
Chief Financial Officer