The district reviewed budget cuts at a work session Thursday night. School districts statewide face cuts because of a state budget shortfall.
The proposal balances Olympia’s budget in part by reducing some of its reserves by 1 percent in each of the next two years, superintendent Bill Lahmann said. Although that will help with the budget in the short term, the long-term outlook is bleak unless the state’s financial picture changes dramatically.
“What we’re doing is, two years from now, we have a big issue,” Lahmann said.
Other cuts under the proposal include 5 percent of the building supplies at elementary and middle schools and 10 percent at the high schools, eliminating stipends for duties such as high school assembly monitor, and making major changes to the scheduling and coaching of middle school sports. High school “C” teams also will play fewer competitions.
High school gymnastics was recommended for a cut “because of the high cost to provide it and an increased difficulty in finding anyone to compete against,” said Jim Crawford, district assistant superintendent of fiscal and operations.
The outdoors school, which sends fifth-graders on an overnight trip to the Cispus Learning Center in Randle, also is on the recommended list for cuts; its elimination would save about $70,000. In the past year, the annual trip was preserved by raising the participation fees for families, but those rising costs and the economy have meant that more families needed help to pay for the trip, Crawford said.
Board members questioned the educational component of the trip, saying while it has been a rite of passage for Olympia students, there could be other, more local ways to learn about the environment.
“What I’m hearing is Cispus is a fun trip. … with some environmental education,” said board Vice President Frank Wilson. “I’m not hearing that Cispus is important for environmental education.”
District administrators and nonunion staff members at the district office also face furloughs in the recommendation.
The cuts in pay and time worked will be on a graduated scale, so higher-paid employees such as Lahmann and other managers would receive a five-day pay cut but employees such as nonunion secretaries would receive a half-day pay cut. Those cuts save $51,000.
The district also will add about $1.1 million in new programs that the board members indicated were priorities through its strategic plan, Crawford said. About $840,000 is from stimulus money.
Venice Buhain: 360-754-5445
vbuhain@theolympian.com
www.theolympian.com/edblog
