Declining Enrollment, Last Year’s Bus Loans Cited for $1.1 Million Revenue Drop
WOODLAWN - The Woodlawn School Board approved a 2026-27 budget Monday night that projects about $1.1 million less revenue for the district this year.
Superintendent Dr. Kevin Hancock called a special meeting Monday night to approve the budget. All four members of the board - Larry Reynolds, Rodger Stewart, Marty Reed and Aaron Tooke - were in attendance.
While the overall reduction in projected revenue was significant, Hancock said no cuts had to be implemented. “We just have to watch what we’re doing,” he told the school board.
Hancock attributed more than half of the lost revenue to about $650,000 in bus loans that were received last year. While the district is in the process of repaying those loans, they are still considered revenue when the district received them last year.
Another factor, according to Hancock, was a loss in foundation funding due to declining enrollment.
Foundation funding is one of the major funding sources for public school districts in Arkansas. The state provides each district with a set amount of money determined by the state legislature for each student enrolled in the district. This year, the state is providing $8,037 per student.
The number of students a district receives foundation funding for is determined by the Average Daily Membership (ADM) over the first three quarters of the previous school year. The more students enrolled, the more money the district receives.
Hancock told the board Woodlawn lost $191,352 in foundation funding as a result of having fewer students in the schools.
A study conducted by the Southeast Arkansas Education Cooperative showed Woodlawn finished the 2025-26 school year with an average enrollment of 536.74 students. As of Aug. 28, enrollment for both the elementary and high school (kindergarten through 12th grade) was at 523, which reflects a loss of 13.74 students (2.5 percent) compared to last year’s ADM.
Among the 15 school districts that make up the Southeast Arkansas Cooperative, 10 showed declining…