School District Budget Cuts: $2 Million Anticipated

Clover Park School District officials are monitoring legislative action, anticipating significant funding reductions for the 2011-2013 biennium budget according to a press release by Kim Prentice, communications director for the school district.

The governor’s proposed budget for 2011-12 would reduce the district's budget by another $2 million, forcing district administrators to address the shortage through fund balance, expenditure reductions and possible program changes.

There will be a community budget forum at 6 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss the review of the 2011-12 draft balanced budget at , located at 8102 Phillips Road SW in Lakewood.

The district has lost $4.3 million of basic education funding from the state since the 2009-10 year, the press release stated. Superintendent Debbie LeBeau said they are carefully looking at all district resources to mitigate the impact of funding reductions from the state and federal government.

"Our priority is to keep budget cuts as far away from the classroom as possible," LeBeau said. "We will account for this shortfall by using fund balance reserves, making cuts in central office administration, placing a freeze on hiring and out of state travel as well as delay any expenditures we can.”

LeBeau added that some of the district's federal funding will remain flat or decrease by as much as 20 percent and, in the case of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, be entirely eliminated.

The district’s Title I and Special Education ARRA funds totaled $6.6 million over the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years, the press release stated.

For more information on the 2011-12 draft budget, please call Clover Park School
District’s Director of Finance Kristy Magyar at 253-583-5021.