The Kent School District is facing an economic reality that one of its top financial officials is calling “unprecedented.”
“We’ve not seen the kind of wholesale reductions we think may happen this year and next year again,” said John Knutson, executive director of finance for Kent schools.
“Given that the state Legislature has not adjourned, we’re hoping for the best and planning for the worst,” Knutson said, of the financial funding outcome that Kent – along with other school districts in the state – will be facing.
The state Legislature this year is looking to shore up an estimated $2.8 billion funding gap. And because state dollars account for 80 percent of the district budget, school officials are looking at scaling the 2010-11 budget down anywhere from $6-$12 million.
“Twelve million is a worst-case scenario,” Knutson explained. “It would probably be less.”
But the clock is ticking, regardless of when the state Legislature hammers out a final spending plan.
One of the most critical deadlines for Kent schools is just around the corner.
Knutson explained the school district is mandated to abide by a May 15 deadline, to announce staff layoffs for the following school year. Given that Kent’s budget is roughly 80 percent salaries and benefits, “with the size of the cuts we’re facing, it’s inevitable that it will involve cutting staff positions,” the finance official said.
With that May 15 deadline looming, and needing time to make the appropriate preparations for it, Knutson said a budget-reduction plan needs to be in front of the Kent School Board by its April 14 meeting.
“That will allow us to prepare for any reduction in force by that May 15 deadline,” Knutson said, although noting a specific number of layoffs hasn’t yet been determined, given that the reduction plan hasn’t yet been fully developed.
The budget-reduction plan is just that – a plan. Should the Legislature boost school funding, or some other source of revenue come to light – as the federal stimulus funds did last year for Kent schools – then the district would change that plan accordingly and not lay so many people off.
“We adjust,” Knutson said. “We’re not going to commit for a level of reduction we don’t have to make.”
That’s just what happened last year, when the school district was predicting dire cuts in staffing – upwards of 120 employees – but federal stimulus dollars flowed to the state, and from there, to the schools. It was a $10 million boon for Kent that enabled the district to refrain from making most of the staffing cuts.
Kent has been able to stretch some of those stimulus dollars into next year’s budget as well. But from what he’s hearing now, Knutson said, Kent schools should not anticipate that kind of windfall for next year’s budget, which is what they are now in the process of building.
“We’re not hearing through media reports, or OSPI (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction) that that will continue,” Knutson said of the federal funds. “Sometimes they’ll prove you wrong, but you really can’t count on that until the deal is signed. So we take it at face value what we hear, and we plan accordingly.”
With that in mind, Kent’s April 14 budget-reduction plan won’t be built around the hope of more stimulus dollars. Although any schools budget built on that reduction plan could be amended, should those dollars become available down the road, Knudsen said.
The painful reality at this time is the Kent School District may be seeing budget cuts it’s never seen before.
“The one message people really need to know is that this is unprecedented,” Knutson said, although he added the district – which is the fourth-largest in the state – will still be able to function with the worst of those cuts.
“These are significant reductions, but they are not catastrophic,” Knutson said.
Make Your Point
The public is invited to participate in Kent School District budget priorities in one of three ways:
1. Online Survey: The KSD Web site, www.kentschooldistrict.org features a link to 2010-2011 Budget – Community Input Survey. The site also provides a PowerPoint presentation and other detailed information. The deadline to comment is April 12.
2. Paper Survey: Visit your school office to complete and submit a paper survey by the April 12 deadline.
3. Community Budget Session and Public Hearing: Attend the Community Budget Session on April 12 and complete a paper or an online survey (laptops will be available for your use). The Community Budget Session will run 6-9 p.m. in the Kentwood Gymnasium, 25800 164th Avenue S.E., Covington. The session will begin with a presentation and will follow with time for public comment. In consideration of time and the number of people wishing to share, comments will be limited to two minutes.
After the April 12 meeting, all survey feedback will be tallied and presented to the board for their consideration. Results also will be displayed on the district Web site by April 15.
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