Thanks to major deficits in federal and state funds, the Kent School District could be shoring up a budget gap of more than $16 million during the 2011-12 school year.
The district on Friday released this statement:
Washington state is grappling with declining revenue and growing deficits in what the governor has described as the most significant state budget crisis since the Great Depression. As a result, Kent School District is facing mid-year revenue cuts and projecting more for the next few years.
Chief Business Officer Dr. Richard Stedry explained the budget reductions are a product of the cuts approved by the Legislature at their special session on Dec. 12, 2010 and the governor’s proposed 2011 Supplemental Operating Budget. While an exact dollar amount is far from clear at this point, what is clear is that these cuts are going to have a significant impact on district operations.
According to the district, it will be doing the following to help shore up the difference:
· Review all vacancies, and filling only those that are “mission critical.”
· Making use of what it is calling “carryover funds” from the previous fiscal year.
· Using its fund balance.
The Kent Reporter will be updating this story in the days ahead, as more information becomes available.
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
