Budget

The Parkland Board of School Directors approved plans for the 2026-2027 General Fund Budget amounting to $261,667,936 after careful consideration of the district's growing needs and long-term financial outlook. The approval was made during the regularly scheduled Board meeting on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.

The 2026-2027 General Fund Budget represents a 5.2% increase over 2025-2026 expenditures. To fund essential programs while minimizing the tax burden on the Parkland community, the District will utilize $9.7 million of its Fund Balance to balance the budget. The Final Budget includes a total mill rate of 18.42, which represents a 3.50% millage increase (the maximum Act 1 index). For the average residential taxpayer, this equates to an increase of $145.43 for the year.

Focus Areas of the 2026-2027 Final Budget:

• Students and Educational Programs – Built on a foundation of student-centered growth, the budget prioritizes direct instructional impact. It finalizes a multi-year elementary literacy initiative, updates AP Social Studies and Business frameworks, and modernizes secondary curriculum. To offset costs, the district has strategically reduced and eliminated less effective expenditures, including a $105,000 savings in supplemental educational technology apps. In order to preserve core student programming, the district is implementing operational reductions, which include eliminating the late activity bus, scaling back out-of-district conferences, consolidating some technology applications and evaluating all staff retirements for non-replacement.
• Safety (Physical, Mental, and Behavioral Health Needs) – The budget maintains our commitment to student safety by continuing our school bus fleet replacement plan to meet industry standards and the maintenance of our School Resource Officers across the school district.
• Growth, Future Planning, and Debt Service – Parkland continues to expand, with enrollment now surpassing 10,000 students. To address this growth, the District recently broke ground on a Parkland High School addition featuring 46 new classroom and lab spaces. While the borrowed proceeds for this construction are held within a restricted Capital Projects Fund, the responsibility for repayment lies within the General Operating Fund. Consequently, the annual debt service is a dedicated line item in the general budget, requiring $1.2 million in new debt service payments this year.
• Long-Term Budget Planning & Fund Balance – The District is entering a multi-year fiscal transition. Construction fund borrowing, alongside compounding mandated costs in staffing, healthcare, special education, and specialized transportation, have created a structural deficit. To maintain stability in the District, the Board and Administration have developed a comprehensive 5-year, $20 million reduction plan to engineer a path to long-term financial stability.
• Legislative Advocacy to Protect Taxpayer Investments – The Board and Administration recognize that local challenges cannot be solved in isolation and are actively partnering with state legislators to address underfunded mandates that strain local taxpayers. The District’s key legislative priorities include:

• Special Education Funding Reform: Special education is one of the fastest-growing demographics and cost drivers for the District. For the 2026-2027 school year, Parkland faces a $40.1 million net funding gap between mandated special education expenditures and the state/federal revenues provided . The District strongly supports legislation like HB 2307, which would increase the state's reimbursement share for the extraordinary expenses of high-need students.
• Cyber Charter Tuition Reform: To combat rising outside charter costs, the District supports the Governor's cyber charter tuition reform proposal, which aims to generate $250 million in statewide savings for school districts. Parkland also advocates for a moratorium on new cyber charters (SB 27), stricter oversight and residency verification (SB 927 & SB 934), and charter enrollment caps (HB 2293).
• School Construction Reimbursement: As the District manages severe overcrowding and facility needs, we are pushing for the full funding and activation of PlanCon 2.0 to provide critical state reimbursement for school construction and renovation projects.