Facing a $4 million budget shortfall forecast for the 2019-2020 school year, the Kelso School District presented the attached proposal for savings to the school board at the March 25 meeting. This plan is the result of a thorough budget review and district analysis aimed at maintaining a strong fiscal foundation with student learning at the heart.
“The proposed plan will serve as the starting point for community feedback,” said Superintendent Mary Beth Tack. “Input from staff, families and Kelso citizens is highly valued and essential in order to make the best decisions for Kelso.”
In effort to receive as much input as possible, in addition to the March 25th public hearing, the following opportunities are open to the public:
At the May 20 meeting, the Kelso School Board will review input collected from the above opportunities and take action on proposed budget savings.
Background
Although the state legislature provided an additional $7 million of McCleary money to Kelso School District for 2018-19, the levy swap takes away $3.8 million for 2019-20 by imposing a cap on local levy resources. This has been referred to as the “levy cliff”. As a result, districts throughout the state are anticipating major financial challenges in the coming months and years. Even after the McCleary investments, the state continues to underfund K-12 education. Additionally, Kelso School District experienced a declining enrollment from the 2018-19 school year.
This $4 million shortfall has nothing to do with our voter-approved bond measure from February, 2018. By law, these voter-approved bond dollars can only be used for our six priority areas: (1) Safety & Security; (2) Two School Replacements; (3) School Modernization; (4) Adding & Updating Classrooms; (5) Traffic & Parking; and (6) Athletic Facilities.