Schools Tighten Belts

Despite declining enroll­ment in some districts and cuts across the board in the state budget for education, school district administrators in the Touchet Valley remain optimistic. "We have always been conservative in our budget­ing," said Dr. Carol Clarke, Waitsburg superintendent. "But we're hopeful the num­ber of students will be there." Enrollment is down in Waitsburg and Prescott, which means a loss of thou­sands

of dollars. Each full-time equivalent student means close to $6,000 for the district.

In addition, the state has cut programs that Touchet Valley schools have relied heavily on in the past, such as Initiative-728. Washington state voters approved I-728 in the No­vember 2000 election. The initiative directed surplus state revenues toward reduc­ing

class size, extending learning opportunities for students who need or want it and investing in educators and their professional devel­opment. "This is money we got last year that we're not getting this year," Clarke said.

For Waitsburg and Day­ton, that's a loss of about $120,000.

Districts like Waitsburg will be able to coast for the year on significant reserve funds, but as Clarke said last week, "We couldn't do it for another year. We'd have to make significantreductions. But I think the students will be there."

The Waitsburg School District will operate on a def­icit for the 2010-2011 year school board members de­cided last week during their annual budget hearing. The $3.8 million budget reflects a shortage of about $200,000, according to Superintendent Dr. Carol Clarke.

"However, the board is comfortable in going forward because we have a strong reserve balance and because they strongly support the programs and staff funded by the budget," Clarke said. "You always have to remem­ber

that a budget is a plan to spend based on information we have at a moment in time." Waitsburg has about $670,000 in reserve funds, Clarke said. "The board recognizes that deficit spending is not desirable," she said. "They are very protective of our reserves, but when it benefits the community and students they will access it to a certain extent. We agree that we can afford one bad year."

afford one bad year." Waitsburg has budgeted for 310 full-time equivalent students for the 2010-2011 school year. The district ended last year with 331, Clarke said.

"But because it's a small district, we can look at the list of students and know that there are some ques­tions about whether certain students will be returning because of moves or oth­er changes," she said. "Of course we hope that the actual number will come in much higher."

The district is adding a high school teacher, Dan Groom, because enrollment is higher at that level, Clarke said. "And we want to ensure that our students get the requirements and electives needed to be successful."

The district has also de­cided to pay for staff to have one work day before the start of school, which was cut at the state level. "But it's vital to us," Clarke said. "We have re­quired trainings to do on that day, and that's when we set the vision and tone for the year."

Without that work day, staff from the different schools wouldn't have a chance to meet as a team, Clarke said. At the elemen­tary school, for example, this is the day where the whole school sets playground rules and school-wide discipline plans. Like Waitsburg, the Prescott School District ex­pects to operate with a deficitin its budget this school year. With expenses projected at $3.8 million and revenue at $3.5 million, the district will likely have to dip into its $456,000 reserve fund, said district business manager A.J. Jacobson. Prescott anticipates an enrollment of about 211 full-time equivalent students for 2010-2011. School board members set a lower-than-average enrollment number for this year after numbers dropped below those pro­jected in the budget at the end of last year, Jacobson said. "In my 30 years here, I've never seen enrollment drop below the conservative num­ber

we set at budget time," she said. "But this past year, in June, we had projected 222 students and ended the year with 220." Those kind of drops in enrollment can mean big shortfalls for schools. "I'm not a high budgeter," Jacobson said. "I budget low and am happy when we get more kids." Administrators hope that enrollment is higher, of course. This will be the first time Jacobson can remem­ber the district "dipping" so low in reserves, but the veteran financier said it's not uncommon for the budget to show shortfalls - the reality usually turns out better than expected. "In 2008-2009 we said we'd end the year with $165,000 in reserve," she said. "But we had much more than that." Also, Prescott bears the full financial burden of the sports combine with Waits­burg

in its budget as the fiscal agent, Jacobson said. The budget does reflect a reimbursement from Waits­burg, but she could only use figures from last year, which will likely have to increase as expenses have increased.

Dayton is the largest school district in the Touchet Valley, with projected en­rollment at 460 full-time equivalent students for the 2010-2011 school year.

"This number reflects a change in budgeting phi­losophy," said Doug John­son, Dayton superintendent. "Previously the district bud­geted

very conservatively in regards to enrollment. At this time, we're hopeful that enrollment data show a stable enrollment."

Dayton ended the 2009-2010 school year with 475 students, Johnson said. The district expects a smaller in­coming 1st grade class com­pared to last year's graduates, however, he said.

Dayton's budget for the coming year shows $5.5 million in expenses and $5.6 million in anticipated revenue, with more than $120,000 in income cut at the state level. "Unlike many districts in our region, Dayton's operat­ing reserve fund balance will not be much help in finding a solution to the cut in state funding," Johnson said. "En­rollment declines a few years ago, combined with deficit spending, have reduced the fund to a point at which it can go no further." The district hopes to bring its reserve balance back up to about $250,000, five percent of annual expenses, in the next few years, Johnson said. For the first time in fiveyears, Dayton will not have to reduce teaching staff to make ends meet, Johnson said. However, Sandy Star­tin, who taught 1st grade last year, retired in May. "And we chose not to fillthat position due to smaller enrollment in grades K-5," Johnson said.

Other changes include cutting the hours of the dis­trict's three, full-time secre­taries down in hours to 2.5, which Johnson said means the elementary school will have fewer front desk hours. Students and staff will see a change in the operat­ing hours at the high school library, as the previously full-time librarian transitions to a half-time position. No sports programs have been eliminated, Johnson said. "But we had hoped to increase our coaching staff to provide more supervision and instruction," he said. "Unfortunately some new paid assistant positions that have been unfilledor filled with volunteers were pulled from the table."

The district has also shuffled classes around the reduce the need for para-professionals, cut some hours for one employee in food ser­vice, and reduced the hours of the district's psychologist. The district's quarterly newsletter will now be print­ed just semi-annually, John­son said. "But we will seek to increase the articles in the locals newspapers and put more information online in an effort to provide the public with information."

The Dixie School District is a kindergarten through fifth grade school with an antici­pated enrollment of about 25 full-time equivalent students, said business manager Con­nie Huett. Dixie students bus to Walla Walla or Waitsburg for junior high and high school.

The district will operate during the 2010-2011 school year on a $760,000 budget, which supports two certified teachers and preschool three mornings per week. This year the district has hired a new kindergarten through second grade teacher, Angela Forsberg, who will start in September. "Our budget is staying very much the same as it was last year," Huett said. "We're fortunate in that our budget balances, and we're doing all we can to take advantage of anything out there to help with finances." Two years ago the Dixie school district made some cost-saving changes, Huett said. The district hired Mark Wegner, who functions as part-time superintendent and principal and also teaches the third through fifth grade class. The district also joined co-ops to continue provid­ing special education and to lower costs for transportation and maintenance, Huett said. The Starbuck School District, which operates in a town with a population of 150, projects enrollment in their kindergarten through 8th grade classes at about 20 full-time equivalent students for the coming school year, according to administrator Karen Rubenser. Unlike other local districts, Starbuck will have a surplus of funds this year, amounting to about $500,000, Rubenser said. "We're looking to spend that down a bit on library books, technology and the hiring of a half-time, floating teacher," she said. "We're also looking at some building improvements, adding Ro­setta Stone Spanish and some accelerated math programs." Starbuck, like Dixie, maintains two teachers who have mixed-grade class­rooms.

As of last week, the district had no incoming kindergarteners registered for the 2010-2011 school year. Students who graduate from the district usually travel to Dayton, the next closest town, for high school but can enroll in any of the other lo­cal districts, Rubenser said. "We have a dynamic little school here," she said. "Peo­ple

are amazed at how upbeat it is. We try to improvise where we can. We're very strong in science, and we bring in a lot of assemblies. We have no sports programs, but we focus on strong life skills."