Proposed Lynden budget includes $1.1 million in cuts

KIRA MILLAGE COX - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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LYNDEN - Flat enrollment, state revenue reductions and rising costs put a strain on Lynden School District officials in developing the 2009-10 school year budget, but the document is now ready for adoption.

The proposed $24 million budget includes about $1.1 million in budget cuts and new revenue, handled partly through layoffs, increased meal prices and sports participation fees. All budget cuts are from the school district's general fund, which pays for day-to-day operations.

"This year has to be one of the most difficult budget years in the state for a long time," said Wilma Charleston, the district's business manager, during a recent public budget information meeting.

The Lynden School Board is expected to adopt the budget Thursday, Aug. 13. All other Whatcom County school districts already have adopted their budgets for the next school year.

The budget process for the 2009-10 school year has been a struggle for districts all over the state. The Lynden School District started the budget-cut process during the winter, with committees identifying areas to reduce costs and public meetings going over all the possibilities.

The district is losing about $1.5 million in state revenue for the 2009-10 school year, mostly due to the elimination of funding for Initiative 728, a voter-approved initiative to reduce class sizes. The I-728 funding paid for 13 teaching positions across the Lynden School District.

Through the use of federal stimulus funding, district officials are keeping staff layoffs to a minimum. In all, the equivalent of about three full-time teaching positions and one administrative position are being eliminated.

According to the budget, the district will receive about $1.4 million in federal stimulus funding to backfill state revenue shortages, however only about $470,000 can be used on general district costs. The rest of the stimulus funding has complicated and specific rules about how it can be spent.

At the end of the 2009-10 school year, the district is expected to have about $1.2 million left in the general fund, which is about 4.8 percent of projected expenditures. The balance is above the board goal of 4 percent, however there is some federal stimulus funding being held over for next year when amounts are forecast to drop.

Reach Kira Millage Cox at kira.millage@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2266. Visit her School Days blog at TheBellinghamHerald.com/blogs.

BUDGET AT A GLANCE

Numbers are rounded and only represent highlights of the budget.

Basic Education: $12.7 million.

Special Education: $2.4 million.

Vocational Education: $972,000.

Other education: $277,524.

Community services: $8,000.

Districtwide support: $3.3 million.

Transportation: $934,492.

Food service: $877,735.

Federal stimulus money