The Escanaba Area Public Schools Board of Education approved the district's 2026-2027 fiscal year original budget on Monday. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)

ESCANABA — The Escanaba Area Public Schools Board of Education approved the district’s budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year during a special meeting Monday.

School districts annually prepare a budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The Escanaba Area Public Schools’ budget appropriates funds for the district’s general fund, food service fund and student/school activities fund.

Because the state has yet to pass its budget, the district has not learned exactly how much revenue it will receive from the state and federal governments. As a result, the figures in the 2026-2027 original budget are based on projections.

“This budget doesn’t have a lot of frills and thrills in it,” said Kevin Pascoe, director of business services for Escanaba Area Public Schools. “It’s a tight budget. It doesn’t have a lot of extras, so if we get any issues to do with any type of major repairs, that is something we will have to address.”

The 2026-2027 original budget notes that the total revenues and funds estimated to be available for appropriations in the general fund includes 18 mills of taxes on non-homestead and non-qualified agricultural property.

According to the 2026-2027 original budget, the total revenues in the general fund are $30,758,650, including local, state and federal revenue.

The projected general fund balance as of July 1, 2026, is $4,179,759, bringing the total amount available for appropriation in the 2026-2027 original budget to $34,938,409.

Total appropriated general fund expenditures are budgeted at $30,751,032. The projected fund balance as of June 30, 2027, is expected to be $4,187,377.

Figures for both the general fund and student/school activities fund in the 2026-2027 original budget are very similar to those in the 2025-2026 original budget. The primary difference is in the food service budget.

In the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the total funds available to appropriate in the food service fund were reported as $2,672,663. For the 2026-2027 fiscal year, that number decreased to $1,937,043.

According to Superintendent Coby Fletcher, that difference is due to updated kitchen equipment and the complete renovation of the serving lines at the Escanaba Junior/Senior High School — work that is still ongoing.

The total revenue for the food service fund in the 2026-2027 original budget is listed at $1,788,646, with a projected fund balance of $148,397 as of July 1, 2026. Total funds available for appropriation are $1,937,043.

The student/school activities fund in the 2026-2027 original budget lists a total revenue of $375,000, with a projected committed fund balance of $325,486 as of July 1, 2026. Total funds available for appropriation are $700,486.

The budget also appropriates $375,000 for student/school activities expenditures.

Past district budgets are available on the school district’s website. Visitors to https://www.eskymos.com/ can select the “Departments” tab, then “Central Office,” followed by “Budget Transparency,” which links to the Munetrix website, a K-12 analytics and financial transparency platform.

No citizens attended Monday’s meeting to address the board with questions or concerns regarding the 2026-2027 original budget.

The board is expected to make amendments to the budget, if necessary, after receiving the state budget.

In other business, the board:

– Approved a resolution authorizing the operating millage proposal and its language to go on the November ballot. The board considered placing a Headlee Override on the ballot during a meeting in May. Escanaba Area Public Schools is currently authorized to levy 18 mills, but a Headlee Rollback will reduce the maximum levy to 17.3939 mills. The district decided to place a Headlee Override, or what some refer to as a Headlee “hedge” on the November ballot. Failing to restore the millage could cost the district nearly $1 million over the remaining six years of its current 15-year operating term.

– Discussed a concrete pad project to go at the Escanaba Athletic Field. The Escanaba Quarterback Club is pursuing funding to install a 50′ by 50′ concrete pad at the Escanaba Athletic Field in what is known as the picnic area. A donor, Kathy Rosemurgy, purchased 12 new metal picnic tables to replace the wooden tables at the picnic area, as well as colored umbrellas for each table, in memory of her late husband, Dr. Alex Rosemurgy. The concrete pad is expected to offer a flat level surface to place the tables on, eliminating the grass surface that is not level. Proper drainage will also be installed to eliminate water puddles and wet areas for the user. The board has yet to approve or deny the concrete pad project.

– Approved an Escanaba Education Association (EEA) Letter of Understanding regarding Dave Wilson. According to district officials, the previous athletic director resigned, and the district began interviewing candidates Tuesday. The letter allows Wilson, an EEA member, to step in and assist the district with athletic director duties in the interim.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.