District leadership continues to work on ways to reduce the budget for the 2009-2010 school year in the face of unprecedented reductions in state funding.  The community is encouraged to provide input.

Comments can be submitted on the district website. The school board encourages the public to attend board meetings and budget work sessions. All schools will host budget information meetings, and a district-wide community forum on the budget will be scheduled in early April.

School Board Budget Work Sessions
The community is encouraged to attend.
March 25 - 7:00 p.m. Evergreen Campus
April 22 - 7:00 p.m.  Tyee Educational Complex
May 27 - 7:00 p.m. Southern Heights Elementary

Budget Questions and Answers

Does the district plan to close schools?
No. Enrollment is projected to be stable for the next several years and then grow slightly. We need all the schools we are currently operating.

Will there be teacher layoffs, and how will that impact class size?
We don’t anticipate major teacher layoffs or a significant change to class size. However, we won’t know how deep staff cuts must go until the state budget is finalized this spring.

Why is the district building schools if there is a budget shortfall?
Construction dollars are funded by a bond approved by voters in 2006. By law, these dollars can only be spent for capital improvements. It is not legal to transfer capital dollars to the general fund to pay for teachers and programs.

What is the timeline for determining budget cuts?

• March: Schools will hold informational meetings.
• March 25: Preliminary budget cut recommendations presented to school board.
• April: District will host community-wide informational meeting.
• April 22, May 27: Updated recommendations presented to school board.
• June 24: Final budget adoption by school board.