Shoreline School District officials have finalized the district’s 2006-07 budget, which includes about $4.7 million in cuts.
The budget is very similar to the preliminary budget presented to the school board in June. A public hearing and scheduled adoption are set for the board’s next meeting at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 28 at Shoreline Center.
Though the budget outlines $4.7 million in cuts, it only shows the district about $1 million ahead of where it is now. That’s partly because employee-related costs have risen.
The district is scheduled to end the 2005-06 fiscal year, as predicted, about $2.9 million in the red, said Bob Boesche, a finance consultant employed temporarily by the district, at the board’s Aug. 21 meeting. The number is still an estimate, as the books won’t close until Aug. 31.
Even with $4.7 million in cuts, 2006-07 is still estimated to end about $1.89 million in the red, though no one can predict the number for sure, Boesche said.
The $1 million gain is the result of budgeting: the district plans to spend about $1 million less than it estimates it will receive in revenues, Boesche said.
“If we hadn’t taken those steps (to make cuts) you can imagine what the ending fund balance for 2006-07 would look like,” Boesche told the board. “If one year from today we can find savings efficiencies to cut that $1.89 million down, we could have an ending fund balance in 2007-08 of zero.”
Some people wonder why, with $4.7 in cuts in 2006-07, the district is only estimated to come out $1 million ahead, Boesche said.
Several factors came into play. For example, cost-of-living adjustments for certificated and classified staff —Â mandated but not funded by the state — cut into the savings.
The district also is paying more for employee benefits, including health insurance.
The projected state funding revenue for 2006-07 includes this year’s enrollment projections. According to projections, the district is down 34 students this year compared to last, but the numbers may change after school starts and final counts are done.
The final budget and the district’s planned cuts have changed very little since the preliminary budget was presented to the board in June, said Sue Walker, superintendent.
The biggest cut is in staffing. 40 certificated classroom teaching positions have been eliminated —Â 37 because of the budget deficit and three because of declining enrollment, separate from the deficit, said Walker.
Parents, teachers and others who want to see the cuts and restorations that are in the final 2006-07 budget soon will be able to view a summary on the district’s Web site, Walker said.
For information, see http://www.shorelineschools.org.
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