The Kent School Board took its first painful step in chopping back costs for the upcoming school year Wednesday night, approving a package of potential cuts that could help the district shore up an anticipated $9 million gap in revenues.
“This makes me throw up,” said Board member Tim Clark, as the board reviewed the cost-cutting measures with its team of financial advisors, in a packed meeting room at district headquarters.
“There isn’t the money in Olympia, and we all know it,” Clark said. “We’re going to have to help each other get through a hard time.”
John Knutson, executive director of finance for Kent Schools, told the board earlier in the meeting that the news from the state was worse than he’d feared: with the Legislature finally wrapping up its session, Kent was in line for roughly a $9 million revenue hole next year, mainly through the loss of state dollars.
“It’s not good,” he said, noting he had been hoping to see a figure closer to $6 million.
With the stark reality of layoffs looming, the Kent School Board took a major step, approving a budget-reduction scenario that could include having the district reduce its budget fund balance, or reserve balance, by 1 percent. By dropping the fund balance to 4 percent instead of its current 5 percent, the district would have roughly another $2.5 million to plug into its programs.
While they did not officially change that policy Wednesday night, the board signaled its intent to consider changing the policy, by okaying it as a step in the reduction plan.
The rest of the reduction scenario includes:
• Cutting back one full-time equivalent, certificated staff position in each of the district’s 28 elementary schools, for a savings of $2.07 million.
• A laundry list of potential cuts saving the district roughly $4.93 million next year, which the board agreed to, with considerable anguish. Items range from cutting one clerical position at each middle school, dropping fifth-grade band and orchestra, to having middle-school sports pay to play. The “laundry list” is arranged in order of priority, based on the citizen surveys and School Board input Wednesday night. Thanks to Board input, the district’s Judo Club, which has been a part of Kent for several decades, stands a good chance of surviving the cuts, as do several other items, including high school golf.)
The total reduction scenario, with the proposed dip into district reserves, cuts in certificated staff at the elementary schools, and the laundry list of districtwide cuts, would create an estimated $9.5 million cost savings to the district next year, essentially closing the anticipated $9 million budget hole.
The next step will be district staff developing a more detailed plan, including specific staff layoffs. The Board is scheduled to meet 7 p.m. April 21 to take action on the plan. By May 15, the district will have sent out layoff notices to staff, for the following school year.
The Kent Reporter will have frequent updates to this story as details become available.
To learn more about the district’s budgeting process, as well as to see the results of the public survey, visit the Kent School District Web site.
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