Sequim Gazette Editorial and Letters to the Editor
School superintendent outlines Sequim schools' newest challenge
Read More Editorial
EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to the large number of letters the Gazette is publishing today, this statement appears here instead of on the Opinion pages.
On a daily basis, we learn of the increasing fiscal challenges of our country, our state and local communities. In December, Gov. Christine Gregoire released her budget, which included a projected state fiscal deficit of $5.8 billion dollars. At that time, the extent of the deficit was unprecedented.
Unfortunately, in subsequent weeks, the size of the deficit has continued to grow. Estimates now place the deficit in excess of $8 billion dollars. While the estimates are only estimates at this time, the pattern of increasing deficit projections is clear.
Communities, business, families and all forms of government are not immune from this fiscal challenge. All school districts, including our district, will be significantly impacted by the revenue shortfall. Many fiscal analysts have suggested that I-728 funds (Initiative 728 - reduction of class size initiative passed by the voters) may be eliminated.
If these funds were eliminated, the revenue shortfall in our district would exceed $1.3 million dollars. Our current general fund budget is $25.5 million. As you can see, reductions of this amount reflect a significant portion of our overall revenue.
Reductions of this magnitude cannot be achieved without the reduction and elimination of numerous district programs and staff. While we do not know the extent of the shortfall at this time, we have taken a number of proactive fiscal actions.
Early in the school year, we took immediate steps, including the following:
_ Recommending and adopting a 2008-2009 budget with no added programs.
_ Implementing a spending freeze on discretionary budget items, which includes revisions of curriculum, technology, equipment and travel budgets.
_ Implementing cost-saving strategies including the establishment of a District Energy Task Force.
_ Conducting a review of all existing contracts with outside agencies to identify potential savings.
_ Advocating with our legislators on behalf of our students.
_ Establishing a District Financial Steering Committee to provide recommendations to our school board regarding our process for developing future budgets and to make suggestions that provide for transparency.
While we took immediate actions to protect district resources, we now are heavily engaged in meaningful and strategic planning for the longer term. We created a District Finance Steering Committee to prepare recommendations to be shared with our community and our board. Our District Finance Steering Committee has met on a weekly basis to stay informed and to guide our efforts moving forward.
We also will provide an opportunity for our shareholders to be involved in our deliberations. A community meeting will be scheduled in early March for this purpose and additional opportunities for input will be provided. We would encourage your attendance at the meetings scheduled. We will announce the meeting dates as we move closer to the March time line.
In our district, we are committed to allocating our resources to those programs that most directly support our students. During these difficult times, this commitment to our students will be our foremost guiding principle.
Please understand that all of our budget strategies will be designed to minimize the impact on student learning in the classroom. We appreciate your support and your input during this time. The district Web site will include an opportunity for input in the near future. Please revisit the site for this information.
I want to thank you personally for your support of our students. I believe we can meet these challenges by our commitment to the mission of our district, careful planning and good stewardship.
Bill Bentley
Sequim schools superintendent
On a daily basis, we learn of the increasing fiscal challenges of our country, our state and local communities. In December, Gov. Christine Gregoire released her budget, which included a projected state fiscal deficit of $5.8 billion dollars. At that time, the extent of the deficit was unprecedented.
Unfortunately, in subsequent weeks, the size of the deficit has continued to grow. Estimates now place the deficit in excess of $8 billion dollars. While the estimates are only estimates at this time, the pattern of increasing deficit projections is clear.
Communities, business, families and all forms of government are not immune from this fiscal challenge. All school districts, including our district, will be significantly impacted by the revenue shortfall. Many fiscal analysts have suggested that I-728 funds (Initiative 728 - reduction of class size initiative passed by the voters) may be eliminated.
If these funds were eliminated, the revenue shortfall in our district would exceed $1.3 million dollars. Our current general fund budget is $25.5 million. As you can see, reductions of this amount reflect a significant portion of our overall revenue.
Reductions of this magnitude cannot be achieved without the reduction and elimination of numerous district programs and staff. While we do not know the extent of the shortfall at this time, we have taken a number of proactive fiscal actions.
Early in the school year, we took immediate steps, including the following:
_ Recommending and adopting a 2008-2009 budget with no added programs.
_ Implementing a spending freeze on discretionary budget items, which includes revisions of curriculum, technology, equipment and travel budgets.
_ Implementing cost-saving strategies including the establishment of a District Energy Task Force.
_ Conducting a review of all existing contracts with outside agencies to identify potential savings.
_ Advocating with our legislators on behalf of our students.
_ Establishing a District Financial Steering Committee to provide recommendations to our school board regarding our process for developing future budgets and to make suggestions that provide for transparency.
While we took immediate actions to protect district resources, we now are heavily engaged in meaningful and strategic planning for the longer term. We created a District Finance Steering Committee to prepare recommendations to be shared with our community and our board. Our District Finance Steering Committee has met on a weekly basis to stay informed and to guide our efforts moving forward.
We also will provide an opportunity for our shareholders to be involved in our deliberations. A community meeting will be scheduled in early March for this purpose and additional opportunities for input will be provided. We would encourage your attendance at the meetings scheduled. We will announce the meeting dates as we move closer to the March time line.
In our district, we are committed to allocating our resources to those programs that most directly support our students. During these difficult times, this commitment to our students will be our foremost guiding principle.
Please understand that all of our budget strategies will be designed to minimize the impact on student learning in the classroom. We appreciate your support and your input during this time. The district Web site will include an opportunity for input in the near future. Please revisit the site for this information.
I want to thank you personally for your support of our students. I believe we can meet these challenges by our commitment to the mission of our district, careful planning and good stewardship.
Bill Bentley
Sequim schools superintendent
![[Post to Twitter]](/module-resources/article/tt-twitter-big3.png)
© 2009 Sequim Gazette. All rights reserved. 147 West Washington, Sequim, WA 98382 • 360.683.3311 • Email the Webmaster