May 4, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Redmond, Wash. – Lake Washington School District parents, staff and community members clearly validated the district’s number one budget priority through two opportunities for public input: that priority is to keep the resources focused in the classroom. The input came through an online budget survey, with 3,354 respondents, and a series of public input sessions, supplemented by an online virtual session. In all, the district received over 4800 survey or input form responses from primarily staff and parents but also some students and some community members who are not parents.

The survey included rankings of both a set of items making up a budget decision screen and a ranking of specific budget items. The budget decision screens included more general items such as “Maintain efforts to attract and retain high quality staff.” The specific budget items included class size in various grades, transportation, textbook updates, etc. The public input process weighed which items to save from the list targeted by state cuts and which alternative cuts should be made instead.

Several major themes emerged from the results. First and most consistent was to maintain current class sizes as much as possible. Class size in elementary grades were the top three items in the budget survey and the top two items to save in the budget input results.

Primary areas to protect or save that emerged are:

• Protect class sizes, especially in the lower grades
• Keep good teachers
• Protect teacher planning and prep time
• Provide support for students not at standard

Suggestions for alternative areas to cut focused on items that do not generally affect classroom teaching. Some of the items that were suggested to cut instead were around these areas:

• Transportation
• Extracurricular activities
• Athletics
• Central administration staff and budget
• Fees where possible instead of cuts
• Additional building support
• Professional development
• Community programs

Decision screen items, the first section in the survey, were listed in order by the average number assigned to the item on a scale of one to five, from Most items remained in a similar place on the decision screen, perhaps changing one place in the ranking. Here are the major changes in rankings:

• Ensure adequate teacher input in curriculum, instruction and assessment decisions rose from 17th place to fourth place
• Maintain efforts to attract and retain high quality staff rose from fourth place to first.
• Maintain a comprehensive instructional program that provides opportunities for students to receive a rich and varied educational experience rose to 11th place from 16th place.

The item on maintaining class sizes was ranked second and the item on safety and security of staff and students was ranked third.

The full set of results of the survey and input process can be seen by viewing these charts:

2009-10 District Budget Survey - Decision Screens

2009-10 District Budget Survey - Specific items

Community Input Summary

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About Lake Washington: Lake Washington School District is a high-performing public school district serving Kirkland, Redmond and Sammamish, Washington. It is the sixth largest district in the state of Washington, with over 23,000 students in 50 schools.