About a month after board members for Spokane Public Schools voted on the last of $10.8 million in cuts, they learned that enrollment was down by about twice as many students as projected. The district predicted it would have about 330 fewer students this school year. Instead, more than 600 are missing.

Where they went is a mystery, but the district is turning to a search party in the form of expert demographers. The district wants to know where the students went so it can more accurately predict enrollment the next time. But for now, the truth is unavoidable: Fewer students mean less money – about $1.7 million. The district has saved $1 million by cutting loose some temporary teachers.

The budget for the current school year is set. It’s the following year that savings will have to be found. Still, it’s never too soon for residents to plug into the process if they want to protect a favored expenditure. During the last round of cuts, Pratt Elementary School was closed, librarian assistants were dropped, custodial services reduced and some extracurricular activities at elementary schools curtailed.

As opponents of those cuts can tell you, the window of opportunity to be heard is fairly small. The problem is structural. The superintendent alerts the state Legislature to funding needs, but lawmakers don’t convene until January. Meanwhile, districts need to inform teachers and other employees in the spring about their fall assignments. That leaves a few short months to devise a budget-cutting plan and announce it to the public. By then, it may be too late for protestations at school board meetings to alter the course.

For newcomers to the process, it can be surprising to find how little leeway school board members actually have. That’s why protests should begin with another set of elected officials: state legislators. If you think schools are not getting enough money, you have to let them know.

Spokane Public Schools has identified 77 services, including special education and transportation, that the state mandates but doesn’t fully fund. Oddly, the state will pay for libraries but not librarians.

This year, lawmakers will be studying a new school-funding formula with the idea of a more realistic approach to financing basic education. But don’t count on a new stream of cash to flow right away.

A better plan is to stay engaged in the process before it’s too late to advocate.