The Woodbury School Board is grappling with an estimated $10 million budget shortfall for the upcoming school year, Superintendent Christine Tuchio announced at Tuesday's regular meeting.

The deficit represents approximately 4% of the district's $240 million overall budget. District officials said just under $3 million in cuts would come directly from schools, while the remainder would be reduced from district-wide resources and services.

As part of the cost-saving measures, middle schools will shift from an eight-over-two schedule to a six-period day, similar to the high school format. The change is expected to save approximately $800,000 by reducing the number of teachers needed while avoiding increases to class sizes.

The board also approved a 10.3% increase in medical insurance budget rates for the 2025-26 school year, effective July 1. The increase will be passed on to all policy holders without drawing from the district's self-insured health fund reserve balance, which officials said needs to maintain adequate coverage levels.

During the meeting, elementary principals highlighted academic achievements and attendance initiatives across the district's seven elementary schools. The district has seen significant growth in multilingual learners, with the population increasing from 15% to 20% of total enrollment over the past three years. Officials said they will provide a comprehensive report on multilingual learner programs at the April 29 meeting.