GLENDALE, Wis – Earlier this year, the Glendale-River Hills School District discovered they were facing a budget deficit totaling around $3.6 million dollars. The district says they are working with financial experts to discover the full extent of the budget discrepancies, how they happened, and where they will go from here.
The district said the shortfall in funding is because of errors in accounting and budgeting by employees who are no longer in the district. They do not suspect criminal activity at this time.
Glendale-River Hills says they know with certainty that they have the cash flow to keep Parkway Elementary School and Glen Hills Middle School open. They will also be able to pay the salaries of faculty for the 2023-24 school year. The district’s savings, however, are insufficient to cover the deficit for the 2023-24 budget. The district has not said budgetary cuts are coming, but that cuts would not be made to the classroom or student experience.
Glendale-River Hills School District has made two hires to create the solution to the issue. Gus Knitt is the interim business manager and Todd Gray is a new financial consultant for the school. Both Knitt and Gray are former public school business managers and superintendents. They will be working with professionals at Baird to investigate past revenue and spending.
In statements to parents and media, the district said there will be more concrete information on their financial status and plans to rectify the budget shortfall after an investigation is completed.
Glendale-River Hills School District anticipated having a fiscally responsible budget for the 2024-25 school year.
