March 14 Budget Development Update from Superintendent John Koch

Dear Gresham-Barlow Families,

As you know, the Gresham-Barlow School District is in the process of developing its budget for the 2025-26 school year. While state funding for schools is expected to increase, based on current projections, it will not provide the amount required to maintain our current educational program. Like other school districts, we are seeing increased costs in a number of areas: our public employment retirement system, transportation, utilities, and labor. State funding is not keeping pace with these rising costs.

The cost increases total in the millions of dollars. We have worked diligently over the last several months to find cost savings and identify reductions so we can balance our budget. Every school and department will feel the impact of these cuts.

A majority of our budget is allocated to staffing, which means we will need to reduce staff in all categories- administrative, licensed, and classified. We know this news is difficult to hear. Every staff member is valued and plays a vital role in helping us achieve our mission and vision. As a district, we are working to support impacted employees. 

We expect the state legislature to determine how much funding schools receive for the 2025-27 biennium in late May or early June. Even so, the school board is required by law to adopt a budget by June 30. We are developing a proposed budget based on current projections.

If we receive more funding from the state than expected, we will carefully decide how that funding is used. Our priority is to ensure that the district can move through the 2026-27 school year without making any additional reductions. In addition, the school district has a long history of being wise stewards of taxpayer dollars and planning ahead to ensure financial stability over the long term. GBSD has maintained its staffing levels throughout the years and has provided a consistent educational program for our students and families. Our students, families, and staff have benefited from this conservative approach. 

Watch for additional updates as we move through this challenging process.

We will send updates via email and post them to our 2025-26 Budget Development Webpage. You’ll also find the Budget Committee Calendar on the webpage, as well as our budget reduction guiding principles.

Please contact your school principal if you have any questions about the budget.

We thank you for your understanding and support as we address these financial challenges while working to protect the long-term stability of our educational program for the students and families we serve. 

Sincerely,

John R. Koch

Interim Superintendent