The Maplewood Richmond Heights School District Board of Education approved the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget at a special work session on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. This year's budget prioritizes stability and strategic growth within the District's revenue streams, with a focus on increased support for students and an increase to teacher salaries to be more competitive within the region.

Total projected revenue for the new budget year is expected to be $34,009,229. Expenses are expected to total $30,590,428. 

The District’s fund balance as of June 30, 2026 is calculated to be 43.7%, up from the balance of 33.9% for the fiscal year just ended. (A school fund balance is the difference between assets - such as cash and investments - and outstanding expenses.) This positive shift is largely attributable to the additional $0.50 transferred to the District’s operating levy, overwhelmingly approved by voters in April. This revenue will directly support increases to teacher salaries by addressing their competitive standing among peer districts, while still ensuring sufficient revenue for the District's bond principal and interest payments. 

State funding, however, is projected to experience only modest growth as the state anticipates utilizing its reserves, resulting in no significant increase to general revenue. Furthermore, federal funding is expected to decrease due to ongoing administrative changes. 

While the local increase in revenue is significant, ongoing inflationary pressures have necessitated budgetary increases across nearly every spending category. The Board of Education, in close collaboration with the Central Office administrative team, has worked to implement strategic spending reductions, particularly in the area of services purchased from vendors and other providers. 

Looking ahead to FY ‘26, the District's overarching goals include proactively addressing the diverse needs of the growing student population, prioritizing their social and emotional well-being, developing equitable and engaging educational programs, ensuring competitive employee compensation, and providing high-quality, updated facilities for student use. These interconnected efforts are designed to cultivate an inclusive and supportive educational environment that fosters the success and well-being of all students and staff. 

The complete MRH FY ‘26 budget can be viewed on our website.