Kent School District Board President Debbie Straus and Superintendent Edward Lee Vargas are asking the district community to share their input regarding budget reduction options for the 2010-2011 school year.
District officials indicate that Kent School District will need to reduce the 2010-2011 budget by a range of $6 to $10 million, with a worst-case scenario of up to $12 million. The level of reduction depends upon three factors:
• Current year operating costs and the general fund balance at the end of this school year.
• Anticipated Washington state Legislature decisions that will result in losses of state funding for the next school year.
• Anticipated costs for next year and the gap between those costs and available funding.
As part of this process of balancing the budget, the Board of Directors is requesting the public’s feedback in prioritizing a list of potential options for reduction for the 2010-11 school year. The public is invited to participate in one of three ways:
• Online survey: The district Web site, www.kentschooldistrict.org, features a link to the 2010-2011 budget community input survey. The site also provides a PowerPoint presentation and other detailed information. Please note there is an April 12 deadline.
• Paper survey: Visit your school office to complete and submit a paper survey by the April 12 deadline.
• 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 be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Kentwood gymnasium, 25800 164th Ave. 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 will also be displayed on the district Web site by April 15.
