PORT ANGELES — Drop school sports, consolidate with another school district and do more to attract families to the area were among the suggestions for balancing the Port Angeles School District budget offered by members of a small group who attended a meeting Thursday.
Eight people attended the hearing at Franklin Elementary School’s library — the first of two hearings planned for taking comment from the public on what could be cut from next school year’s budget.
The district anticipates a loss of $2.9 million in state funding for its 2010-2011 budget — and that’s a conservation estimate, said Jim Schwob, the director of business and operations for the district.
The district — the largest in the North Olympic Peninsula — also expects to lose an additional $1 million because of an expected drop in enrollment of 137 students.
A second hearing will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 16, also at Franklin Elementary, 2505 S. Washington St.
Also, the School Board will be available for one-on-one conversations at 6 p.m. Monday at Hamilton Elementary School, 1822 W. Seventh St., before the regular meeting begins at 7 p.m.
Paid with reserves
Teachers will be paid in June with reserves because of an anticipated delay in funding from the state, Schwob said.
Schwob said that the state Legislature, as a means of helping to resolve a $2.8 billion budget deficit, intends to delay state appropriations to school districts by a month.
“They will probably do the same the next year,” he added.
While the Port Angeles district can manage the expense through using reserves until the payment is made, school districts without that cushion will have to seek loans, he said.
The budget is expected to be passed by the board of directors in April.
State cuts
Expected to be included in state cuts are funding for teachers — which would equate to the cost of six positions — loss of funding for “extended day kindergarten” and levy equalization, among other budget items.
Schwob said he couldn’t say if the loss of funding would result in layoffs of six teachers or the loss of extended day kindergarten.
What is cut depends upon the decisions made by the board, which will take into account recommendations from the public, he said.
“I can’t tell you if it will happen,” said Schwob, who told the crowd that “everything is on the table” in terms of cuts.
But he also said the district isn’t proposing school closures since class sizes haven’t reduced to a low-enough level to justify such a move, although officials are considering selling or leasing property not in current use.
The district’s January enrollment was 3,834 full-time equivalent students, excluding the North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center enrollment.
Questions, comments or suggestions may be e-mailed to budget@portangeles schools.org or sent by mail to Fiscal Advisory Committee, Port Angeles School District, 216 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles, WA 98362.
The district Web site will be updated as information becomes available, officials said.
To view this information click on “Budget News” at www.portangelesschools.org.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
