Budget Blog: Posts http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/AllPosts.aspx RSS feed for the Posts list. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:17:46 GMT Windows SharePoint Services V3 RSS Generator 60 Budget Blog: Posts /News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/_layouts/images/homepage.gif http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/AllPosts.aspx Another chance to comment http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=18 Body:
Barbara Posthumus, business services coordinator, had the unenviable task of presenting the proposed budget at the June 22 school board meeting. It was not easy at all - the district budget is a complicated document.
 
For those who want to delve into the complete budget, the summary document is posted in the 2009-10 budget section. The board will consider the budget in a public hearing at its August 10 meeting: any comments received by that date will be shared with the board before they vote on it that night. Send e-mail comments to publiccomment@lwsd.org and they will be forwarded on.
 
Published: 7/8/2009 2:53 PM
]]> Reith, Kathryn Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:58:17 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=18 Support needed more than ever http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=17 Body:
I just got back from the annual Lake Washington Schools Foundation luncheon. They have now done four of these fund raising events and it is settling into a very professional, well run program. It was a good reminder of the great support we have from our community but it also made me reflect a little on how much we will be relying on that support next year.
 
By raising fees substantially in the proposed budget, we are asking district families to shoulder more of the burden involved. While many families in our community can afford these higher fees, many cannot. Our teachers, counselors, principals and others know students may shy away from classes that have materials fees, from athletics teams or activities if they can't afford the cost. And those teams or activities may be what is keeping a student engaged and in school.
 
None of us want to see students excluded from anything at school because of cost. I know that schools will be turning to booster clubs, PTSAs and the Lake Washington Schools Foundation more than ever. And students will be turning to school-based funds, like the RHS Helps fund that Melissa Pointer, assistant principal at Redmond High, has been managing, for help.
 
If you are in a position to make a donation, I encourage you to consider the Lake Washington Schools Foundation (www.lwsf.org), your local PTSA unit, your favorite booster club or other school assistance fund. More students than ever need your help and will truly benefit from your assistance.
 
Published: 5/13/2009 2:49 PM
]]> Reith, Kathryn Wed, 13 May 2009 22:26:08 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=17 More news from Olympia http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=16 Body:
Word came out today that the legislature is done for the year. There will be no special session. There was one bill that was under consideration that was an important one for our district and many others. It concerned protecting the levy base. That bill is now dead for this year.
 
The amount we can collect from the local property tax levy is based on a percentage of the money the district gets from the state for basic education. Since this year's state budget has reduced that amount, we will be getting the same sized slice but it will be of a smaller pie. So not only will we get less money from the state, they will prevent us from collecting as much money in the local levy as a result.
 
Fortunately, the lid on levy collections has a built in lag time. The amount we can collect this year is based on what we got last year from the state. So next year will be based on this year. That means we have a reprieve: our levy collections next year will be what we budgeted.
 
It's 2011 that becomes the concern. If the legislature doesn't do anything next spring, we could be facing one more round of budget cuts, for the 2010-2011 school year. At this point, the idea of any more cuts is something I just don't even want to think about.
 
That's one more reason for parents, staff and community members to keep an eye on what happens in Olympia.
Category: School funding
Published: 5/7/2009 5:07 PM
]]> Reith, Kathryn School funding Fri, 08 May 2009 00:25:57 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=16 A big sigh of relief http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=15 Body:
Or a series of cheers. Those seem to be the reactions today to the announcement about the district's proposed budget. No layoffs, no changes in class sizes - that's the very, very good news today.
 
It was not easy. As a member of the team that worked for Dr. Kimball on this budget, I saw the number of central office staff members who worked tirelessly to find solutions. There was a huge amount of work that went into gathering and analyzing all the public input and into figuring out many different creative ways to cut the budget while remaining true to that input and our budget priorities. It would have been way easier to just follow the state cuts. But it would have been wrong.
 
The good news is that our classrooms will remain whole. We won't be losing teachers or facing larger classes. But that doesn't mean there won't be an impact. We've managed to use some creative budgeting to move a few items from one category to another to take more advantage of the federal stimulus money. But there will be real pain in some areas.
 
That's the down side of the announcement. Once we finish the sighs of relief or cheers, there are the details that reflect real, serious cuts. Families will have to bear the larger fees. PTSAs will be asked to do even more fund raising to help pay for those students and families who can't afford them.
 
Some teachers will lose stipends they have built into their personal budgets. On a teacher's salary, every addition to that income is vital.
 
Principals will have a harder job next year. They will have to figure out how to get the work done that was paid for through stipends for extra duties. They will have less money in the budget as well.
 
The central office will have fewer people and less money to do as much or more work. Our ability to respond to parent and school needs will be reduced.
 
So it's not all good news today. But I, for one, am very proud of Dr. Kimball's proposal and the message it sends about our school district.
Published: 5/5/2009 11:39 AM
]]> Reith, Kathryn Tue, 05 May 2009 19:02:14 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=15 Exciting viewing http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=14 Body:
Have some free time tonight? The school board meeting starts at 7 p.m. If you live within a specific area and get Comcast cable, you can watch the school board on channel 26 (I think). Or you can watch via streaming video on our site - go to http://www.lwsd.org/About/School-Board/Board-Meetings/Pages/Board-Meeting-Video.aspx.
 
If you are interested in learning about the draft budget, you'll want to watch. Or come back to this site tomorrow for more information.
Published: 5/4/2009 6:15 PM
]]> Reith, Kathryn Tue, 05 May 2009 01:21:13 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=14 Fees, with compassion http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=13 Body:
The swine flu got in the way of getting all the budget input data posted on the Web today - we're keeping in touch with Public Health and I'm working to provide information to parents and students. So you'll have to come back Monday to see the specific data. But here's another theme I've seen, especially in the written comments.
 
Parents and staff who came to the input meetings learned all about the restrictions to our general fund - the levy lid that we keep bumping our heads against, for example. Fees are one way that we can raise more money, where we can charge them. There was definitely enthusiasm for fees for most items suggested.
 
One concern is that online surveys and even evening in-person events tend to draw a group of people that are a little higher than average on the socio-economic ladder and may not be completely representative of our community. But I was impressed by how often the choice of fees was accompanied by comments that suggested making sure that students and families who could not afford those fees be accommodated in some way. They were clear that fees would be a good idea only if they did not impact students and prevent them from a full school experience. PTSAs and other groups were suggested as possible sources to enlist in creating funds to help reduce any negative effects.
 
Fees aren't so simple to introduce: impacts on those who can't afford them are one consequence. I heard other discussions and read comments about other unintended consequences, like more traffic in and out of schools from parents driving their kids if transportation fees were introduced. But it's still worth exploring which fees might work to increase our general fund, even a little, especially if approached with compassion.
Published: 5/1/2009 4:57 PM
]]> Reith, Kathryn Sat, 02 May 2009 00:15:33 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=13 Class size is number one http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=12 Body:
I've spent time this week going through the budget survey results and the budget input forms. (Check the Web site tomorrow or Monday for the full results.) But I did want to write today about the number one clear message our community sent and that is: class size is most important, especially at the elementary level.
 
In the original budget survey, the items for elementary class size were the top three ranked items (grades kindergarten and one, two and three, and grades four through six were separated into three different items). Junior high and high school class size fell a little farther down on the list but still in the top ten. In the community input process, 90 percent of those who took part wanted to save kindergarten and first grade class size and 84 percent wanted to save class size in grades two through four. Those two items got more agreement than any others on the list.
 
On the alternative cut side of things, some folks were willing to make some cuts in class sizes for grades five and six, seven through nine or ten through twelve if that would help pay for smaller classes in the early grades. Only somewhere between twenty and thirty percent were willing to make that trade.
 
What that tells me is that our community values learning, especially when it comes to direct attention from a teacher.That's good news for our students and for our teachers.
Category: Class size
Published: 4/30/2009 5:33 PM
]]> Reith, Kathryn Class size Fri, 01 May 2009 00:55:56 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=12 More question marks from Olympia http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=10 Body:
We've been reviewing the numbers from the state budget and it appears that in general the cuts to our district will fall within that $7 to $8 million range we've been talking about. There are still some questions that our business services staff are trying to get answered. Some of the questions are about how we will or won't be able to use federal stimulus money.
 
Another question mark concerns a bill that did not pass the legislature at the last minute and is on the list for consideration if a special session is called. If you've been reading or watching the news, it's House Bill 1776, concerning school levies.
 
Our local levy is capped by the state using a formula that is a percentage of revenues from state and federal revenues. Here's the problem: if our state revenues are cut, as they will be next year, then the cap means that we cannot by law raise as much money through our local levy. So not only would we have the state cuts but we would also collect less local levy money as well.
 
This bill, H.B. 1776, would allow districts to collect as much local levy money as if the state cuts were not happening.
 
If there is no special session or if they hold a special session and this bill does not pass, there would be no impact on next year's budget. The levy lid is based on past revenue, so it would not be until 2011 that the state budget cuts would affect the amount we can collect.
 
It would mean that the second year of this budget biennium would be even worse for Lake Washington and many other school districts. The amount we could collect in local levy dollars for 2010-11 would be even lower.
 
That's why the possibility of a special session of the legislature is something to pay attention to in the news.
Published: 4/29/2009 12:34 PM
]]> Reith, Kathryn Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:19:25 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=10 Who's on DART? http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=9 Body:
A lot of work has been going on at the district to make sense of the state budget as well as all the community input that came in from the sessions of the last two weeks. Believe me, the community input is much easier to figure out than the state budget. Because I've been involved in the input analysis, I haven't had time to update this blog. I'll be catching up in the next couple of days.
 
Friday was the day for the Decision Advisory Representative Team to spend the day grappling with putting together a set of recommendations for Dr. Kimball. A parent asked me last week who is on DART and how they are chosen. DART is made up of several groups. The largest are principals, who are elected by their fellow principals to represent the different levels (elementary, junior high and high school) and the four different learning communities (Eastlake, Juanita, Lake Washington and Redmond). There are also members who represent the Central Leadership Team, the administrators who head the different departments in the district. And there are representatives of the Professional Technical staff - managers in the classified staff ranks, coveirng such areas as transportation, facilities and business services. There are 17 voting members of DART.
 
These staff members are elected by their peers but are also expected to represent the interests of the staff members who work for them. Principals bring to the discussion the interest of the teachers, instructional assistants and office managers in their schools, for example. This group brings a wide range of experiences and knowledge of the district to their work.
Published: 4/28/2009 8:34 AM
]]> Reith, Kathryn Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:50:30 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=9 Down to the wire http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=8 Body:
We're getting down to the wire here in Lake Washington School District and in Olympia. The deadline here is to get our community input data compiled before Friday, which I can't believe is tomorrow. We've extended the deadline to get in your input forms so you've still got through the end of today to get them filled out. But do so as soon as possible! We've got several staff members working today to enter the data from all the forms collected at Juanita High School last night and keep up with those coming in online. (Another full house last night - 400 people in the Juanita High cafeteria working through the input process!) On Friday, that information will go to the Decision Advisory Representative Team, which has the unenviable task of spending the day figuring out a general plan for the budget.
 
The deadline in Olympia is Sunday - the day by which the legislature is supposed to have this session wrapped up. The media is reporting that a deal has been reached on education budget cuts but no one is telling what that deal is. While I dread what the final news will be, it will actually be a relief to know specifically what we are working with. Not knowing is hard on everyone - you can't really work on solving the problem until you know the size and shape of it. Maybe by Sunday we'll know where we really are.
Category: District Budget
Published: 4/23/2009 9:11 AM
]]> Reith, Kathryn District Budget Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:27:59 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=8 The new basic http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=7 Body:
Last night was a milestone in public education in the state of Washington. We've been talking a lot at the public input sessions about "basic education." That's what the Washington constitution protects. It's what the state's "paramount duty" is to provide. But that definition, created in the 1970s, has been woefully out of date. And the items not included in that all too small definition are the ones the legislature has been able to consider cutting in these down times.
 
Over the last few years, there has been growing momentum towards changing that basic definition. There have been lawsuits, special committees and task forces. Those of you who are education policy wonks can cite chapter and verse of what has been going on in Olympia and around the state. The bottom line for all of us is that the state legislature has taken the first step to redefine basic education.
 
There were some things taken out of the final bill - the controversial plan to move to merit pay for teachers, for example. But once the governor signs the bill as is now expected, the state says that basic education includes six periods a day for high school, all-day kindergarten, preschool for at-risk kids and more that has never been covered by the state.
 
There is still a lot of work to be done. How the state will pay for this is the big question. We don't know exactly how it will be phased in, except that the goal is for full implementation by 2018. That's a long time to wait, especially for the kids in our system right now.
 
That means the people in our district who have worked on these issues, like PTSA Council President Wendy DeLong and her partners in advocacy Byron Shutz, Barb Billinghurst, Susan Baird-Joshi, Michele Stanish-Walls and so many others, still have work to do. But I hope they will take a moment to celebrate this success.
 
I know the Washington Education Association has opposed this bill. One reason was the proposed change in the system of teacher pay and that was cut from the final version. The other reason was the lack of funding attached to the bill. I personally don't think it was realistic to get full funding for basic education right now, in this recession.
 
You've read what I think. What about you? Do you think this was a huge milestone? A medium sized one? Not a milestone but a step back? Your turn.
Category: School funding
Published: 4/21/2009 11:38 AM
]]> Reith, Kathryn School funding Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:30:33 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=7 A confusing system http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=6 Body:
Those of you who have attended one of the budget input sessions have discovered that a significant amount of time is spent on explaining this state's convoluted school funding system. I expect you learned more about school funding than you ever wanted to know. However, it does affect how we put together our budget and what we can and cannot buy using money from different accounts. And the results sometimes confuse the heck out of people.
 
For example, we can buy computers, interactive whiteboards and other technology using technology levy funds. Because those funds are approved by voters for that specific purpose, we can't move the money into the general fund to use it for something else.
 
At the same time, the state has capped the amount we can raise through the education and operations levy that goes into our general fund. So we can't raise more money for general operating costs. The result? We have money to buy new computers but we're looking at the possiblity of having to lay off the teachers who teach our kids how to use that technology.
 
For a quick rundown on school funding basics, there's a page with that name in the "for the community" section on this web site.
Category: School funding
Published: 4/20/2009 4:07 PM
]]> Reith, Kathryn School funding Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:32:02 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=6 Budget Input meetings http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=5 Body:
When we decided to have public input meetings around these budget decisions, we had no idea how many people would show up. On the one hand, I figure that a meeting about school district budgets is not much competition for American Idol or anything else on television or about anything else you might normally do on a week night. On the other hand, these decisions could affect our schools in pretty significant ways and could affect people and programs that many hold dear.
 
Each succeeding night brought even more people. We had quite a few staff members and parents, with smaller numbers of students. Some community members who are neither parents nor staff members came. It was energizing to see the high level of engagement and involvement as people worked through the budget exercise and recorded their input.
 
We still have one more public meeting scheduled next Wednesday at Juanita High School (7 p.m.) and I expect a good turnout. For those of you who can't make it, you can take part online. Just go back to the home page of the Budget 2009-10 section and click on Budget Input Session.
 
We are compiling the input forms from the first sessions now. Results will be posted here after the sessions are concluded and we get all the data together.
Category: District Budget
Published: 4/17/2009 4:26 PM
]]> Reith, Kathryn District Budget Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:56:46 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=5 Welcome to the Budget Blog! http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=4 Body:

We’ve been in limbo since last fall, when state budget shortfalls became really apparent. That uncertainty, about how much money we may or may not get from the state, what that means in terms of budgets and from there, the impacts on people, is tough on so many people. Certainly, it's hardest on anyone whose job is more likely to be on the list of those that could go away, like first year teachers. It's hard on their colleagues, who care about them. It's hard on parents who worry about programs their students rely on. I could go on.

 

The point is, being in this information limbo is the toughest part. We just don't know what will finally happen. That's one reason for this blog - to provide information when we can get it, to help dispel rumors that aren't true and confirm what is true. It won't get us answers where none exist yet - like what the final state budget will be or what the final district budget will be. But an information vaccuum has a tendency to get filled and too often it is filled with information that is wrong and scary both.

 

The other reason for this blog is to create a place where we as a community including parents, staff, students and anyone interested in Lake Washington School District can work together to find ways to make sure that budget issues don't derail our efforts to provide a high quality public school education.

 

Please come back often with your questions and your ideas.

 

Category: District Budget
Published: 4/17/2009 3:43 PM
]]> Reith, Kathryn District Budget Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:56:50 GMT http://www.lwsd.org/News/2009-2010-Budget/budget-blog/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=4