Board considers staffing cuts after failed referendum

IOLA – The Iola-Scandinavia School Board met in closed session last week to discuss potential teacher non-renewals and employment actions following a failed operating referendum that leaves the district facing a significant budget deficit.

The closed session agenda included discussion and possible action on teacher employment and preliminary notice of contract non-renewal.

The district recently asked voters to approve a non-recurring referendum that would have allowed it to exceed state revenue limits and raise $1.6 million in the 2026-27 school year and about $2 million annually for the following three years. The measure failed by 176 votes.

In a statement, Administrator Chris Nelson said he was disappointed by the outcome but respects voters’ decision.

“The reality is that our budget deficit will not be going away – we will need to make difficult cuts to align our spending with available revenue,” Nelson said. “Moving forward, we’ll be exploring the reasons for this outcome and working to understand what future non-recurring operational referendums might be acceptable to our community. Our focus remains on maintaining educational quality for our students while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

Nelson said last week that the district is now planning staffing and program reductions to deal with the shortfall. For the 2026-27 school year, the district will reduce two full-time equivalent teaching positions at the middle and high school level in business education and physical education.

Additional cost-saving measures under consideration include reducing field trips, postponing scheduled Chromebook replacements, delaying technology and maintenance updates, reducing co-curricular coaching positions, reducing contracted services through CESA 5, and implementing district-wide wage freezes, he said.

Nelson said the combined reductions would cut about $500,000 from the 2026-27 budget. However, he said the district would still face an estimated $1.1 million deficit, matching the gap the referendum was intended to cover.

“These are challenging choices that will impact our students, staff, and programs,” he said. “We are working to minimize the impact on student learning while ensuring fiscal responsibility, but the gap between available revenue and operational costs remains significant.”