District to dip into savings to cover deficit in budget

There’s a time to save, and a time to dip into savings.

Board members of Spokane Public Schools plan to dip into their savings for next year’s budget to end a three-year streak of programming cuts.

School officials said a disciplined budget from the previous year created a $2.3 million carryover that can be used to stop any budget cuts next year.

During a work session Wednesday night, Superintendent Brian Benzel asked members of the board for direction on whether to dip into savings or carry the funds over to future budgets.

Board member Christie Querna said she couldn’t look the community in the eye and tell them they would be forced to cut something while carrying a budget surplus into future years.

The district will still maintain its common practice of keeping a reserve of at least 5 percent of the total budget, which is about $13.5 million.

This week, school officials prepared for two public forums that will reveal a detailed budget picture. In past years, citizens were shown a list of potential areas that weren’t required by state law. Many parents came to advocate for programs they feared would be cut. That likely won’t be the scene this year.

“My hunch is this one won’t be as well attended,” Anderson said. “We hope people come. It’s important for people to get a good feel for the complexity of the budget.”

The $270 million budget for 2005-2006 is currently being built and is scheduled for a board vote in August.

The forums take place at 7 p.m. Monday at Chase Middle School and 7 p.m. Tuesday at Glover Middle School. People will be asked to rank the importance of non-mandatory programs to help guide the board and school officials in 2006-2007.

In March, Spokane Public Schools projected a need to cut $5.3 million from next year’s budget.

Since then, the state Legislature finished and gave additional funding, including a $4.7 million bump for teacher salary and benefit increases and an extra $1 million for a learning assistance program to help high school students perform better on the Washington Assessment for Student Learning. The state also gave an additional $500,000 for special education funding.

The additional funding helps cover increased costs to provide the same level of programming. The schools also had to manage an anticipated 350-student enrollment decline that accounts for about $1.6 million less in state funding.

Following the community forums, the district Citizen’s Advisory Committee will review the preliminary budget on May 16. Benzel will make his preliminary budget recommendation to the board June 22. The preliminary budget will be released July 10, and the board is expected to vote on it Aug. 10.