May 2008
Dear Shoreline Families:
With the end of the Washington State legislative session in March, school districts across the state are carefully planning their budgets for the 2008-09 school year.
Many districts are recognizing the impact of state-approved cost-of-living adjustments, retirement increases, higher utility costs, under-funded special education and transportation programs, unfunded mandates and in some cases declining enrollment. All of these realities will erode fund balances and cause serious shortfalls if districts are not proactive.
Budget cuts are the headlines of the day. For 2008-09, the Northshore School District has identified the need to cut $3.4 million, Edmonds $4.1 million, Lake Washington $2 million, Renton $1 million, Bellevue $5 million, Mercer Island $1.6 million and Seattle $11 million – to name just a few.
Although most districts make a commitment to keep their reductions as far from the classroom as they can, the loss of student and classroom support that these cuts represent is significant.
In Shoreline, by comparison, we are very grateful that our collective efforts of the past two years and our commitment to “stay the course” have protected us from the need for a third year of difficult budget reductions. As a result of our revenue consistently exceeding our expenditures this year, we find ourselves with an improving positive ending fund balance (contingency account).
We have turned a corner, although we must maintain our resolve. If we are consistently conservative in our spending and continue to negotiate agreements that are sustainable, we will all benefit in the long term. Once our ending fund balance is restored, we will be able to utilize nearly all of the resources available each year.
By all standards, what we have done is remarkable and we should be very proud of our focus, our sacrifices and our dedication to this community of students, parents and staff.
Some of our greatest pride should come from the fact that we have preserved a staffing model that is rich in student and family support. We have retained the exceptional programs that have become synonymous with the Shoreline Schools and we continue to attract the very best educators that will keep our educational community strong into the future. This is no small accomplishment during difficult times. Thank you for the role each of you has played in our success.