News & Information

Following months of the Bellingham School District gathering budget savings ideas, publicly sharing draft proposals and incorporating input from staff and the community, the Bellingham School District Board of Directors unanimously adopted the enclosed Budget Savings Plan at its March 17 meeting. The district will use the plan as its roadmap to reduce operating expenses for the 2009-2010 school year and possibly beyond.

The School Board made the following amendments to the Budget Savings Plan prior to adopting it:

• Directed the Superintendent to develop a plan by July 1, 2009 to keep middle school interscholastic sports and C team (freshman) athletics by making them self-supporting through a pay-to-play program and/or pursuing public/private funding partnership opportunities;
• Directed the Superintendent to develop a plan to increase rental fees of district facilities beyond 10 percent to fair market value for community rentals;
• Clarified that the temporary postponement of reopening Lowell School Elementary is for one year;
• Moved the School Resource Officer budget savings item to the top of the Districtwide Savings section due to the joint decision by the district and Bellingham Police Department; and
• Directed the Superintendent to implement items 60 and 61 -- closing school libraries during the summer and eliminating certificated Career Center positions -- prior to reducing school nurse positions.

Please click here to view the Adopted Budget Savings Plan.

"The School Board thanks the public and staff for all of the ideas and input during the last couple of months. It is extremely difficult to have to confront such a severe state budget deficit and take action, knowing the impact on people and programs," says School Board President Steve Schoenfeld. "This process allowed us to engage the community in proactively planning for the Legislature's cuts rather than reacting in late spring and making decisions in isolation of stakeholders. While not all community members will agree with every part of the plan, a diversity of viewpoints and interests have been represented. We have carefully weighed the impact of each savings item and strived to keep reductions as far away as possible from classroom instruction and the learning experience of all students throughout our school district." 

In anticipation of at least $2 million in reductions in next year's budget, the School Board directed Superintendent Ken Vedra and staff to immediately begin planning for and implementing the Budget Savings Plan. The Board also directed the Superintendent to begin planning and implementing the reorganization of departments and programs affected by the plan.

The state announced that it will release an updated revenue forecast at the end of this week and new drafts of the state Legislature's budget are expected by the end of March. Based on those drafts, the district will have a better idea of its budget shortfall from the state. However, the state will not adopt a final budget until later this spring.

"The timing of the state budget process does not align with legal notifications to staff and our planning for next school year," says Superintendent Ken Vedra. "We will not have definitive answers on how much we need to reduce our budget until late spring when the Legislature adopts its budget."

As a result, the district will likely be required to notify some staff regarding the status of job positions prior to receiving a final state budget and before it knows the exact amount of reductions needed.

The district will not reduce its programs and staff beyond what is needed to balance the budget for next school year and what is needed to proactively prepare for anticipated state budget shortfalls in the future, Vedra says.

"By continuing open communication with you and proactively planning, we will be able to offer a strong educational program for our children for next year and beyond," Vedra says. "The loss of some staff positions and programs is deeply upsetting and it is easy in this economic climate to lose hope. I ask you -- however difficult it may be -- to maintain a hopeful,  'glass-half-full' outlook and be open to the opportunities that this challenge presents. We provide, and will continue to provide, an excellent educational experience for all children."

For the district's budget FAQ that is continuously updated, please click here.