The Pella School Board made final decisions related to the 2025 and 2026 fiscal year budget reductions at their meeting Monday.

The board ultimately is moving ahead with $825,000 in cuts to the general fund after a months-long budget reduction process came to them after recommendations were created by district administration and a long range planning committee. This, coupled with just under $500,000 being saved by early retirements, will allow the district to run in the black by 2026 with the money used to pay for staff salaries and district supply needs.

Superintendent Greg Ebeling says the board made a few deviations from his own plan, but ultimately, voted to commit to the reductions necessitated by a sharp decline in enrollment and state aid not matching increasing costs. The full review of packages chosen for elimination can be found here.

Ebeling says they will continue to evaluate the general fund as they await future enrollment changes, and the formula they used to reach the $1.3 million reduction accounted for a potential drop of 20 students over the next two academic years.

Hear more about the budget reduction process for the Pella Community School District on today’s Let’s Talk Pella.