Dearest reader,
We have reached the final page of the Hopkins Public Schools ledger. 🪶
And Step Five is where Lady B looks at the financial condition of the General Fund.
This one deserves attention.
In 2023–24, Hopkins ended the year with a General Fund balance of:
$3,049,061
By the end of 2024–25, that had fallen to:
$2,656,701
Then we move from audited numbers to the district's budgets.
For 2025–26, Hopkins projects:
🪶 Revenue: $19,801,821
🪶 Expenditures: $20,453,758
🪶 Deficit: $651,937
🪶 Ending fund balance: $2,004,764
And for 2026–27:
🪶 Revenue: $19,552,202
🪶 Expenditures: $20,471,332
🪶 Deficit: $919,130
🪶 Ending fund balance: $1,085,633
Now look at the fund balance as a percentage of expenditures:
2023–24: 15.19%
2024–25: 13.06%
2025–26: 9.80%
2026–27: 5.30%
That's a pretty clear direction. 👀
From the audited 2023–24 balance to the district's 2026–27 budget, Hopkins' General Fund balance falls from $3.05 million to approximately $1.09 million.
A decline of:
$1,963,428
Or 64.39%.
Now, an important receipt before anyone runs too far with those numbers:
The 2025 financial statements received an unmodified audit opinion, and the Government Auditing Standards work did not identify a material weakness or reportable noncompliance.
So Lady B isn't declaring a financial emergency.
But I'm also not going to ignore what the district's own numbers show.
Hopkins is budgeting expenditures above revenues in both 2025–26 and 2026–27, while its projected General Fund balance continues to decline.
And that brings us back to why we do all five steps.
One number rarely tells the story.
Over the last decade, Hopkins lost 13.64% of its pupils.
Teacher FTE increased 21.83%.
District/central administrator FTE increased 150.00%.
Average teacher salary fell 18.00% after inflation.
And now the district's budget projects its General Fund balance falling to $1.09 million, or 5.30% of expenditures, by the end of 2026–27.
Those numbers don't decide what Hopkins should do next.
They give its community the information needed to start asking the questions.
And with that, dearest reader, the Hopkins ledger is closed.
For now. 👀🪶
With receipts and respect.
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