Marion County Public Schools officials on Thursday gave the Independent Citizens Referendum Oversight Committee a quarter‑one update on spending from the voter‑approved 1‑mill referendum, saying roughly $260 million is expected in revenue and about $250 million is projected to be spent through the life of the measure.

Robert Rios Welsh, the district’s chief financial officer, told the committee the referendum — approved by voters Nov. 8, 2022, effective July 1, 2023, and set to run through June 30, 2027 — supports classroom staff and programs the district says would otherwise be at risk. “We take this very seriously in terms of making sure that we have a clear look at how referendum dollars are being used responsibly, transparently, and with the greatest impact for all student, staff, and the community,” Rios Welsh said.

Why it matters: the referendum is restricted by voter language to instructional and related programs (art, music, physical education, library/media, vocational programs and school safety). The committee review tracks budgeted amounts, year‑to‑date spending, and the number of staff positions funded from those dollars so the committee can report back to the superintendent and the public.

Key financial figures and fund balance
- Total expected referendum revenue over the measure’s life: $260,000,000 (district projection). Projected total expenditures: about $250,000,000.
- For the 2025–26 year, the district budgeted $41,000,000 in referendum revenue and $42,000,000 in referendum expenditures, with a projected ending fund balance of about $12,000,000 (the 2024–25 ending balance rolled into 25–26 was reported at $13,300,000).
- First‑quarter receipts were reported at 19% of expected annual revenue with expenditures at roughly 17% of budget, the presenters said.

Program allocations and staffing
- Class‑size reduction: The district said the largest single category (39% of district referendum spending) supports class‑size reduction through personnel funded by the referendum. Officials explained a recent reclassification of positions moved many basic classroom teachers from referendum funding to the general fund while moving art, music and physical education staff onto the referendum budget; the district described this as an ‘‘even swap’’ in the number of positions but one that shifts categorical totals.

- Physical education: Charity Cornelison, coordinator for physical education, described summer and back‑to‑school professional learning paid in part by district supports and funded staffing. The district reported a roughly $10,000,000 referendum budget for physical education for the year, with about $1,500,000 (≈15%) spent year‑to‑date to cover salaries, benefits, equipment and supplies. The district said referendum funds currently support about 106 full‑time PE teachers and 22 PE technician positions.

- Kindergarten paraprofessionals: The referendum budget for kindergarten paraprofessionals is $5,700,000, with about $785,000 spent so far; those dollars support roughly 158 paraprofessionals, the CFO said.

- Career and technical education (CTE): Catherine (Kathy) Otey, coordinator for CTE, reported more than 14,000 unduplicated students enrolled in CTE courses and a vocational budget of about $2,400,000 funding 17 vocational teacher units; approximately 14% of that budget had been spent in the first quarter. Staff highlighted work‑based learning, hospital shadowing, film and FFA events supported by referendum dollars.

- Library/media: Reagan Hughes (media/instructional services) and the district reported a $4,400,000 referendum budget for media/library programs, with about $630,000 spent to date and 49 media specialists funded. The district emphasized that media specialists have completed required state training before they can purchase new materials.

- Visual and performing arts: Brooke Hutto (visual and performing arts) said the visual arts budget is $5,200,000 (55 art teachers, 12 paraprofessionals and a half‑time coordinator funded) and the music budget is $5,700,000 (54 music teachers, 12 paraprofessionals and a half‑time coordinator). Year‑to‑date spending on both arts programs is small but expected to increase as the year progresses.

- Professional leadership and learning: Cassie Buscher outlined supports for novice and early‑career teachers (147 novice, 238 early‑career reported), funded professional learning, mentor stipends and an annual ‘‘Great Beginnings’’ teacher store. The professional learning allocation from referendum dollars was reported at about $624,000 for the year.

School safety and SROs
Dennis McFadden, executive director for Safe Schools, gave the quarterly school‑safety report and said school safety spending this quarter was limited but that planning, vendor coordination and site assessments continued. The district reported a referendum safety budget of about $6,700,000 with roughly $1,500,000 (≈26%) spent to date. McFadden said prior investments included door buzzer systems, upgraded surveillance cameras for buses and schools, and door‑hardening projects.

On school resource officers: McFadden reported 66 SROs currently assigned district‑wide and said the planned new high school will add two more SRO positions; he estimated adding a midyear SRO could raise costs by roughly $75,000–$90,000 depending on contract location and vendor. McFadden told the committee that routine after‑hours event policing (for example, football games) is paid by schools’ internal funds and not by referendum dollars, though the district helps with graduation security costs in some cases.

Charter school allocations
The district said it is required by statute to pass through referendum funds to charter schools on a per‑student basis. The charter school referendum budget was reported at $895,000 with $317,000 spent to date. The district supplied a breakdown for charters: physical education $158,000 ($44,000 spent), art $53,000 ($14,000 spent), music $80,000 ($21,000 spent), professional learning $234,776 ($123,000 spent) and safe schools $368,706 (~31% spent). The budget director (Kayla) said the allocation formula is dictated by state statute and calculates a per‑student share for each charter.

Questions and clarifications from committee members
Committee members asked why PE spending appears large relative to prior years. Rios Welsh and PE staff explained the categorical shift of art/music/PE onto the referendum and moving basic classroom teachers off referendum into the general fund; that reallocation raised the referendum totals for PE and related categories while keeping the overall staffing numbers balanced, the presenters said. The committee also asked about a discrepancy between two slides showing slightly different safety totals; staff identified a typographical difference and confirmed the $6.7 million figure.

Votes at a glance: procedural actions from the Oct. 16 meeting
- Approval of prior meeting minutes: motion made and seconded; voice vote in favor, no recorded opposition; outcome: approved.
- Motion to adjourn: motion seconded; voice vote in favor; outcome: approved.

Committee next steps and context
Committee members discussed organizing in‑person school site visits before year end to see referendum‑funded programs in action (suggested visits: a high school CTE program and an elementary school art/music/media program). The committee chair said an annual report is required and that a draft will be circulated for comment before submission to the superintendent.

Sources and attribution
The reporting above is based on presentations and answers given at the Oct. 16 meeting of the Independent Citizens Referendum Oversight Committee by: Dr. Brewer (interim superintendent); Robert Rios Welsh (chief financial officer); Charity Cornelison (coordinator, physical education); Catherine (Kathy) Otey (CTE coordinator); Reagan Hughes (media/instructional services); Brooke Hutto (visual and performing arts coordinator); Cassie Buscher (professional leadership and learning coordinator); Dennis McFadden (executive director for Safe Schools); and Kayla (budget director). Where direct quotations are used, they are attributed to the speaker who made them at the meeting.

No policy changes or new contract awards were approved at this meeting. The committee received the quarterly report for oversight and asked for additional follow‑up materials and scheduling for school visits.