Sauk Rapids-Rice Facing $700,000 In Cuts For Next Year

SAUK RAPIDS (WJON News) -- The Sauk Rapids-Rice school district is facing more cuts in the next year.

Superintendent Brad Bergstrom says they are still in the process of putting together the budget for the 2025-2026 school year, but he knows they are going to have to make $700,000 in adjustments.

Each of these decisions that we have to make when we are adjusting our budget has an impact on our ability to do the best job we can to educate students.  It's a continual challenge for us, whether it be unfunded mandates or the lack of funding from the legislature, it is making things difficult for us.

Bergstrom says by the end of this month, they'll determine what those cuts are going to be. He says that with 80 percent of their expenses having to do with people, jobs will be impacted.

Bergstrom says state funding has not been keeping up with inflation over the past several years.

The difference in that for us as a district, just at the rate of inflation for the last 20-plus years, that dollar amount for us would be over $6 million.  It would make a significant difference in terms of where we're at.

Bergstrom says the other challenge facing all school districts is the number of unfunded mandates.

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Last year, Sauk Rapids-Rice had to cut $2.4 million.

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