Now that the Pella School Board has reviewed financial projects based on enrollment and predicted state aid for the general fund, action items will start soon to map out the next fiscal year for the district.

Superintendent Greg Ebeling says the dollars used to fund programming and staff are largely controlled by the number of students served and what the Iowa Legislature determines per pupil annually — and because the latter has lagged behind the cost of running the Pella Schools, Ebeling says they are anticipating running in the red for some time.

Ebeling says while the overall financial health of the district remains strong, they’ve had to employ several financial tricks to ultimately stay in that position — and in a few years, they may have to consider more early retirement incentives or more if state aid continues to stay on the lower end.

Hear more about the latest with the Pella Community School District on today’s Let’s Talk Pella.