Budget update
Apr 9, 2024
Budget Update
Looking forward to the 2024/25 school year, I would like to provide you an update on the financial health of the West Valley School District.
For the upcoming budget, the District will be facing reductions in revenue from federal funds with the elimination of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. In addition, the District will face a reduction in state funds for Local Effort Assistance (LEA) and Regionalization funds.
The reduction in federal ESSER funds and state Regionalization funds were included in our budget forecasting for the 2023/24 school year. The District was proactive with the current budget and made reductions for this school year with the goal to minimize classroom impact as much as possible.
The Board of Directors adopted a balanced budget for the current school year. The District did not anticipate the need to dip into reserves for this school year.
In addition, the District was conservative in student enrollment forecasts for the 2023/24 school year. Unlike many other school districts in Washington State, West Valley has seen a return to pre-COVID student enrollment. The majority of state funding is based on student enrollment.
Pre-COVID, in October 2019, the total student enrollment for West Valley was 5,616 students. During COVID, in October 2020, enrollment dropped to 5,327 students. For the current school year, in October 2023, total student enrollment was 5,610 students. With this return in enrollment, the District is on-track without the need to dip into reserves for this school year.
As we look forward to the 2024/25 school year, staffing for classroom teachers will be projected to match the student enrollment at the school and grade level. Any overall staffing reductions will be made by attrition through resignation or retirement. In addition, the administration will continue to investigate ways to deliver services efficiently with the same high-quality in the future that has been expected in the past by ourselves and our community.
We anticipate that the Board of Directors will adopt a balanced budget for the upcoming school year.
Our proactive work over the past two years, as well as the return of student enrollment, has positioned the West Valley School District to meet the challenges of budgeting for the upcoming school year. We will continue the budget process with the goal to minimize classroom impact as much as possible.
The final budget for the 2024/25 school year will be adopted by the School Board this summer. Public hearings on the budget will be advertised on the School Board agendas. If you would like to speak with me, personally, about the budget process, please contact me directly at my office. My office phone number is: 509-972-6007.
Sincerely,
Dr. Peter Finch, Superintendent