Better Schools Funds Help Valley

Valley school districts filed draft budgets on Monday, setting the stage for a 2000-2001 school year with plenty of new faces and new programs.

Twelve of the teachers reporting for work in the Valley this fall will have their salaries paid for by the state’s Better Schools Fund.

Districts expect around $918,000 from the fund, which was approved by the Legislature in April. Central Valley will hire seven teachers with the money. East Valley will hire three, and West Valley will take on two under the new program. The Freeman School District will receive enough money to hire a part-time teacher.

The funds, which aim to reduce class size in kindergarten through fourth grade are disbursed based on enrollment count. Freeman expects a total enrollment of 809 students next year, down from 864 last year.

The four districts also expect about $340,000 from the $57.5 million fund for teachers’ professional development.

“The Better Schools money provides a lot of opportunities for our students and staff,” said Jan Hutton, Central Valley’s director of business services.

She added that the funding should be ongoing, which is important for districts that don’t have extra resources to pay for the additional staff.

Though the Better Schools allocations are the standouts this year, they constitute only a small fraction of funds disbursed through the districts’ spending plans.

Budgets for all four districts also reflect a 3 percent salary increase for current teachers promised in 1999 when the state Legislature earmarked almost $1 billion for education.

CV budget up $1.3 million

From Central Valley’s $72.2 million general fund, about $33.3 million will be spent on teacher salaries, up from $32 million last year.

The rest of the district’s budget remained relatively stable, with the addition of a few new grant-funded programs.

District officials are building a $90,000 program to provide academic support and behavioral counseling to fourth-through sixth-graders who have been suspended.

They will also spend nearly $400,000 to create a “Success Academy” to provide students with academic support outside of the classroom.

The budget also sets aside about $200,000 for the creation of an all-day, tuition-based kindergarten program and an extension of the district’s current child care program.

“We have seen a growth in all our day-care programs throughout the current year,” said Hutton.

Central Valley will hold a public hearing about its budget on August 28 during the regular board meeting, after which the board will decide whether to adopt the budget. A time for the meeting has not yet been set.

EV spending up 3.3 percent

East Valley’s $31.4 million shows a spending increase of only 3.3 percent over last year.

Besides the additional funds for the new teachers and the salary raises, the budget includes a $44,000 state-funded safety grant.

The capital projects budget shows more movement, since budgeters added $450,000 in revenue that they estimate collecting from a proposed technology bond on the ballot in September.

“We don’t want to have to go back in January and do a budget extension if the bond passes,” said Tom Crouch, East Valley’s business manager.

The bond is expected to bring in $6.27 million during its lifetime.

East Valley will hold a budget workshop on July 25 to be followed by formal board vote of the budget on August 29. The July 25 meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.

WV boosts special ed funding

The $24.6 million West Valley budget shows a boost in funding for special and vocational education programs.

With the $96,000 added to the special education budget, the district will increase staff and equipment to meet the needs of students.

District officials also plan to replace computers in WV’s vocational education classrooms, funded by a $100,000 budget increase. The district will spend $70,000 to pay for a new teacher and other program improvements.

Special steps were also taken to complete the building swap between City School and Spokane Valley High School.

More than $70,000 has been added to the food service portion of the general fund budget, in part to cover new kitchen supplies and equipment needed at the old City School site. The increase also reflects higher food costs and some food service salary boosts.

The budget also shows a $90,000 grant for a horticultural program at City School.

The West Valley School Board will hear from the public and vote on the budget on August 23 at noon. The board may schedule a budget workshop beforehand, but no plans have been confirmed.

Freeman enters new partnership

Despite lower than expected enrollment, the Freeman School District’s budget shows a 6.2 percent increase.

The increase is due, in part, to a new alternative education partnership with the Liberty and Tekoa school districts. Freeman officials reserved $90,000 for the program which will target students who are behind in credits or need a more flexible schooling schedule.

The program, according to superintendent Bill Thurston, will be modeled after West Valley’s contract-based program and will target students who would otherwise turn to Spokane schools to meet their needs.

District officials are also considering taking over a pre-school program currently run by the local YMCA. They’ve budgeted an extra $150,000 should they decide to go forward.

The Freeman school board will meet on July 27 at noon to consider the budgeting plan. The public is welcome to comment at that time.