Tony Overman/The Olympian
Karen Knudson, a librarian in Lakewood and the parent of two children in the North Thurston School District, asks a question about priorities during Wednesday night's meeting at the district's administrative center in Lacey. She is flanked by her husband, Bob Knudson, and Haley Beach, an 18-year-old senior at North Thurston High School. About 200 people turned out to express their opinions on where district budget cuts should be made.

District officials get earful on cuts

North Thurston looks for help to trim $4.2 million

ALMA D. SHARPE THE OLYMPIAN

LACEY -- North Thurston Public School officials put a simple arithmetic problem before a room full of community members, parents and staff Wednesday night: The district's expenses will grow to $92.3 million next year, but it expects to have $88.1 million in revenue.

The difference -- $4.2 million -- is the amount of cuts the district is likely to see in state government money.

On Monday, state education officials announced a partial list of cuts affecting districts. North Thurston's share was $1.18 million, which has grown to $1.2 million. Other costs include a $1.65 million gap between what the state will provide for teacher salary increases and what the district must pay.

The district also expects its utility and employee health care costs to increase.

Locke's signature

While Gov. Gary Locke still has to sign the final state budget, most agree the cuts and revenue increases state legislators agreed upon as a way to close a $1.6 billion budget shortfall will happen.

With that in mind, North Thurston administrators asked the 200 people who attended the public forum to help rank programs.

"There's nothing, absolutely nothing, that we will not consider tonight," said Superintendent Jim Koval. "The main thing in my mind is (maintaining) instruction and student achievement."

The goal of the night was to force those in attendance to choose what they considered the most important district expenses. Choices included textbooks, classroom equipment and supplies, building repairs, teacher training, administrative jobs, school aides, bus routes and computer labs.

Administrators told the audience that while state officials funded Initiative 728, to keep classes small, and 732, to raise school employees' salaries, they cut other programs to the extent that many of the impacts expected from the two measures would not be as significant.

Questions quickly arose in the audience.

People wanted to know: Is the budget problem going to continue next year? How much of the district's budget is discretionary and how much is legally fixed?

Could future school employee retirements lessen the problem? What are the district's greatest needs?

Many of the answers started with two words: It depends.

More coming

Officials said they expect more cuts next year, the district's budget is mostly fixed, the retirement of veteran teachers could cut some costs, and the district's needs depend on who's being asked.

As they took pencil to paper to make their choices, some parents expressed frustration at having to choose among programs they considered invaluable.

"What part of my child's education am I going to take away," asked Hector Luengo-Cadiz, a parent at Meadows Elementary. "You don't want to cut anything. These kids are going to take care of us when we get old. They need everything."

Others said there were some things they valued most.

"Paying for textbooks and supplies, that's important," said Brad French, father of a student at Woodland Elementary. "Student activities are not."

Michiyo Lantow, who has two children in the district, said she could see several ways the district could save money, such as charging students for bus rides to school. That's the way her children's former school in Hawaii did it, she said.

"Otherwise, you end up paying a lot," she said.

Despite the cuts, the district expects to see continued improvement in test scores and in the overall quality of students' education, Koval told parents.

"This school system has never been better than it is tonight," he said. "Every single day, there are great things happening in each of your child's classrooms."

He said he felt reassured to see the meeting's turnout, and told parents that the district is already in the process of cutting expenses wherever possible.

An e-mail went out to all employees this week alerting them to some immediate cuts. They were told there would be no more overtime unless it's an emergency, no new equipment purchases and no travel expenses, along with an increased focus on energy and other savings. Grants requiring matching funds from the district would likely go unfunded, they said.

"Those things are not going to save us $4.2 million dollars, but they will help," Koval said.

Administrators will make recommendations for cuts during the April 22 school board meeting. The budget is scheduled for approval in August.

Public forum

North Thurston Public Schools will have a second public forum to discuss budget cuts at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the school board's chambers, 305 College Street N.E., Lacey. For more information call 360-412-4400.

On the Web:

- North Thurston Public Schools

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