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District Begins Detailing 2026-27 Budget Cuts
Superintendent Miriam Mickelson has begun unveiling the specific reductions needed to close a projected $30 million budget shortfall for the coming 2026-27 school year.
The superintendent outlined at the school board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 10, an estimated $2.3 million in budget cuts and also received unanimous board approval to eliminate for the coming school year up to 32 positions held by 4J’s career professionals and mid-level administrators.
The board also revised its policy to lower the amount of reserves to 5 percent from 8 percent of the annual expenditures from its operating budget, while still maintaining the course to reduce $30 million in the coming year's budget. The main purpose of this action is to bring the district into fiscal alignment and stop deficit spending.
Dr. Mickelson acknowledged that cuts are painful because “every person in our organization and every program is very important,” but also necessary.
The goal is to approach the difficult task with clarity, compassion and a view for the long-term, she told the school board, she said.
“My hope is at the end of this year we can be on a path where the school district can emerge stronger, better, more focused, and more cohesive and united in our efforts to serve all of our students for years to come,” the superintendent said.
Specifying coming budget reductions
The roughly $2.3 million in reductions she outlined are tied to nonpersonnel costs for materials and services as well as the superintendent’s previously announced restructuring of her executive leadership team. They are as follows:
- $893,000: Reorganizing 4J’s executive leadership team
- $500,000: Pausing professional development for departments and employees who belong to the MAPS employee group (managers, administrators, professionals and supervisors).
- $407,000: Ending contracts for materials and services provided to departments
- $252,000: Ending various technology subscriptions
- $222,000: Reducing the discretionary budgets earmarked for each 4J school
- $32,000: Ending contracts for outside professional services that include investigations, job performance reviews, coaching and other tasks
The superintendent had previously announced she is reducing her leadership executive team from seven to four by eliminating the positions held by three assistant superintendents. Department oversight will be divided among the 4J’s chief of staff, chief operations officer and the newly appointed assistant superintendent for system integration and continuous improvement.
The technology subscriptions that will cease at the end of the school year include Seesaw, a platform used by elementary school teachers to manage classroom assignments and communicate with parents. Other subscriptions getting the ax include Turnitin, an assignment plagiarism checker, and Rosetta Stone, a computer-assisted language learning platform.
Dr. Mickelson said elementary school teachers who responded to the online survey about Seesaw indicated they either don’t use Seesaw or use the platform sporadically, and used it more for communication than for classroom learning. ParentSquare will remain 4J’s school-to-home communications platform.
The superintendent said the review leading to the decision about Seesaw was an example of the “data gathering and thoughtful decision-making that we apply to every single line item of the budget.”
Canvas, the platform middle and high schools use to assign, receive and submit assignments and grading, is also under review. Dr. Mickelson acknowledged it’s “very likely” 4J will continue with Canvas due to its heavy use at the secondary level. She will announce her decision about Canvas in January.
The school board approved the superintendent’s recommendation to cut up to 32 positions held by employees who are part of the Managers, Administrator, Professionals and Supervisors (MAPS) employee group. MAPS is not a union that engages in formal collective bargaining but acts together to maintain and improve working conditions for its group.
The superintendent cautioned the number of cut positions will not equal the number of layoffs due to the potential for affected employees to be reassigned within 4J. MAPS employees impacted by the reduction in force were notified earlier this month.
Updating budget reserve level
Finally, the school board voted to return to a reserve policy level of 5 percent of the general operating budget, less than a year after raising it to 8 percent in anticipation of federal and state budget reductions. Separately, the board re-affirmed formal guidance to the superintendent to come back with a proposed 2026-27 with $30 million in reductions.
The earlier vote frees a projected $7.6 million from the reserve for the 2026-27 school year that district leaders could potentially put to other uses as students return next year and additional staff may be required.
On Jan. 7, Dr. Mickelson will present to the board (with an approval vote Jan. 14) additional reductions covering MAPS staff, district-level licensed and classified staff, district-wide instructional support programs, district-wide employee support and development programs, and changes to specialized programs like Career Technical Education. On Jan. 21 (with an approval vote Feb. 4) she'll present proposed reductions for school-based licensed and classified staff, changes to school programs, and a possible adjustment to the middle school schedule.
Under consideration is a possible bell schedule change for middle schools, with a return to a six-period school day for students in grades 6-8. Daily start and end times would stay the same. District staff are analyzing data and survey results from middle school staff. Families will receive more information in early January, before a change would be presented to the school board Jan. 21.