Bellingham Schools propose $100 million budget; some layoffs may be avoided

KIRA MILLAGE - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

E-Mail

Print Reprint

Text Size:

tool goes here

BELLINGHAM - The Bellingham School District's proposed 2009-10 budget includes millions of dollars in cuts, but also includes more funding for staff than previously expected.

In May, the district sent notices to 64 certificated employees - many of them teachers - to let them know there might not be funding for their jobs in the fall. However, through attrition, budgeting changes, and the use of federal stimulus money, 47 of those people are guaranteed at least part-time positions.

"If you can picture playing chess with 700 pieces, that is basically what we're doing," said Nora Klewiada, the district's executive director of human resources, adding that schools' student-staff ratios will remain the same as this year.

The proposed budget includes about $100 million in expenditures, about $2.5 million below the 2008-09 school year. During the winter and spring, district officials, along with community members and district employees, created a "budget savings plan" prioritizing items to cut.

Essentially, every viable budget cut option is implemented in the proposed budget, according to Superintendent Ken Vedra. And more cuts might come in future school years if state revenue forecasts don't improve, he said.

"We know that it's probably going to be more than a one-year budget challenge we're facing," he said. "We're prepared again to deal with that."

The current cuts are coming from the general fund, which covers day-to-day district operations. Special projects, including construction, are paid through the capital projects fund.

The district, along with others in the state, is in a budget crunch due to state cuts enacted by the Legislature this spring.

"This is the most interesting of 22 budgets I've had the pleasure of working on," said Ron Cowan, assistant superintendent of business and operations. "I hope we do not have to go through this level of reduction in the future. ... We appear to be bottoming out, however, it's going to take awhile to get out."

The district is slated to receive about $4.2 million in federal stimulus funding, but only about $1.3 million can be used for general expenses. The other funding has strict rules about what the money can be used for.

At the end of the 2009-10 school year, the district is forecast to have about $4.4 million in reserves in the general fund. That's about 4.4 percent of budgeted expenditures, which complies with the School Board's guideline to keep reserves at 3 to 5 percent.

"While some may say this is a bit high, I disagree," Cowan told the board during a recent budget work session. "This is still uncertain times and we need to position ourselves well. ... It's prudent and wise to keep some money in the bank."

NEXT MEETING

The Bellingham School Board will take public comment and vote on the budget at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 25, at the Roeder Administration Building, 1306 Dupont St.

To view the draft budget, go to www.bham.wednet.edu, click on "Families" and then "Budget 2009 Q&A."

BY THE NUMBERS

Here's a quick look at major expenses in the Bellingham School District budget for 2009-10:

Basic education: $56.4 million

Special education: $11.7 million

Vocational education: $1.9 million

Other education: $6.7 million

Community services: $218,500

Districtwide support: $13.2 million

Transportation: $2.9 million

Food service: $3.2 million

FEDERAL STIMULUS REVENUES