Expenditures, revenue down for school budget

The Wahkiakum School district budget shrank considerably this year. The district adopted its 2009-10 budget at the July board of directors meeting.

The directors passed a $4,958,432 General Fund budget for the upcoming school year. “This is about $350,000 less than we had to work with last year,” said School Superintendent, Robert Garrett.

Garrett said the savings came from a combination of changes in the way the district manages teachers, students and classified staff.

Garrett said his district worked hard for the past six months to create the savings by reallocating and redefining how teachers, staff and students are ranked.

“We cut the equivalent of three and one half positions,” Garrett said. “And we found ways to allocate teacher productivity and save money.”

The district also saved money by working to reduce the hours worked by classified employees--bus drivers, paraeducators, and secretarial and custodial staff.

The school district's coffers also shrank after the state’s revenue forecast predicted a nearly $9 billion revenue shortfall. The state's allotment to schools is nearly 23 percent of its total budget, and this left state legislators scrambling to cut programs.

“Enrollment is also down in the county,” Garrett said. “Add that to the state cuts and those two items are the biggest reason we’ve had to make budget cuts.”

The 2009-10 budget also includes a $150,000 Capitol Project Fund work project to repair the football bleachers that caught fire last year.

“The bleacher project is going to cost the school about $106,000 and I already know there will be at least one change order,” Garrett said.

The 2009-10 budget also includes $217, 470 to service the school’s existing debt; $170,000 for the Student Body Fund, and $90,000 for transportation.