Pam Kelly, director of finance, reported the Kansas State Department of Education’s audit of the district’s enrollment and explained how the counts affect state funding.

Kelly said the district did not qualify for the February 20 military count this year because it fell below the required movement threshold; she had budgeted 50 FTE for the military count but the audit did not record documentation sufficient to claim it. “To qualify for the military account you have to have a minimum of 25 additional students that have entered into the school prior to February 20, and we did not have records of that,” Kelly said.

The KSDE-audited counts that determine funding are 9,061.2 full-time-equivalent (FTE) students for general education and 1,437.7 special education FTEs. Kelly said the audited counts represent an increase of 56.9 FTE overall and an 11.1 reduction in special education FTEs from the previous audit.

Kelly said those figures correspond to a general fund budget authority (spending limit) of $56,771,044 and a supplemental general fund (LOB) limit of $18,031,555. She added the district will monitor reporting windows to capture eligible military students in future counts.

Board members asked follow-up questions about the military count and seasonal movement of military families; Kelly said the district would improve verification processes to maximize count accuracy going forward.