Trustees and members of the public sought clarity Thursday about whether a vote on the district budget would automatically implement the proposed school reconfiguration scheduled for next year.

District staff told the board the budget vote concerns the overall spending figure; it funds elements of the reconfiguration but is not itself a separate vote to adopt or close a school. The staff presentation emphasized that many operational changes tied to the reconfiguration—such as shifting grade assignments, reassigning staff and renaming a middle school—depend on implementation steps that will follow the budget process.

Why this matters: Voters will cast a single “yes/no” ballot on the budget number. Some community members interpreted materials distributed at open houses to mean that a “no” vote would automatically preserve the current grade structures; staff said that is not the intent, and that a failed budget simply requires the district to revisit funding and plans.

Requests from the board: Trustees asked staff to provide a more transparent accounting of the $2.1 million in projected reconfiguration savings. They specifically asked for counts by category: how many of the positions counted as reductions are due to retirements, how many were positions that had not been filled, and how many are reductions tied to consolidation or program cuts. Staff agreed to produce those category counts and the underlying numbers. Trustees also requested clearer public materials identifying which positions and programs would be affected if the reconfiguration is implemented and a clearer disclosure of anticipated grant funding used to cover specific services.

Public engagement and timeline: Staff said open houses had strong attendance (300–350 families at recent events) and that materials explaining grade shifts and staffing will be shared with families. Trustees said they will bring proposed middle-school names forward at a later meeting and that final staffing appointments will follow the budget vote (the district said names for positions would be brought after the budget vote on June 10).