Schools in Shoreline face a roughly $1 million cut next year if legislators this spring pass Gov. Christine Gregoire’s budget as proposed.
The cut could get bigger or smaller, depending on what legislators do and how much worse the economy gets, among other factors.
Statewide, Gregoire’s budget carves $406 million from elementary and secondary schools and cuts another $360 million by not giving teachers pay raises.
The cuts are part of an attempt to close a projected $5.7 billion deficit over the next two years in the next state budget. Other proposed cuts affect children, the poor, the disabled, health care and more.
It’s too early to talk about specific cuts in Shoreline, said Shoreline School District superintendent Sue Walker.
“We don’t know whether or not this would cause us to impact anything we are currently doing,” she said. “It means approximately $1 million less to spend on instruction and programs.”
The good news is that by year’s end, Shoreline officials expect reach a 4 to 5 percent ending fund balance. Board policy says the district should have 4 to 5 percent of its budget in that reserve, which is similar to a savings account.
It’s the goal officials have been aiming at for years, making deep cuts to dig out of a budget crisis.
It looks unlikely that officials will dig into that savings to offset state cuts.
“I don’t think anyone wants to spend down our savings, that’s a very risky thing to do,” Walker said. “We do want to continue to live within our means.”
The $1 million cut number comes from the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Officials there did an analysis of how much Gregoire’s proposed budget would cost districts, and it’s a rough number.
The Edmonds School District expects to lose $4.5 million next year, and Everett faces a hit of $4.5 million next year, according to OSPI.
The governor’s proposed cut includes a roughly $870,000 cut to Shoreline’s Initiative 728 money, voter-approved funds that have become central to district operations statewide.
The $4 million in I-728 money the district now receives funds 40 teachers, as well as professional development, high school summer school, before- and after-school programs at middle schools and paraeducators in all-day kindergarten.
It’s too early to tell if the cut to I-728 means cutting teacher jobs, Walker said.
Officials will be analyzing district spending in coming months, and the legislature will come out with a final budget in spring.
Any layoff notices would have to be sent by May 15, a state deadline, and the school board must adopt a final budget by August.
In addition, Shoreline teacher’s contracts are up for bargaining this year. Bargaining usually happens in summer.
Eric Stevick of the Herald contributed to this report.
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