$2 million budget gap threatens sports teams

The Olympia School District has put nearly 60 items on a list of possible cuts as district leaders consider how to trim more than $2 million from the 2008-09 budget.

The list of budget options, released Monday afternoon, includes eliminating or cutting middle school sports, eliminating or cutting busing options, cutting high school C teams and eliminating the Cispus portion of the Outdoor Education Program.

The public is invited to meetings May 6 at Knox Administrative Center and May 7 at Marshall Middle School to set priorities for the cuts. District officials expect to have a plan for possible layoffs, which could include teachers, by May 12.

Revenue is expected to be $83.2 million in 2008-09, said Jim Crawford, district assistant superintendent of fiscal and operations. If nothing were cut, expenses would climb to $86 million, a 6 percent increase from about $81 million this year.

District officials have said that the rising cost of benefits for locally and federally funded employees has outpaced state funding for schools, and that the district's smaller schools and classes contribute to expenses that are increasing faster than local and state revenue. The district's transportation budget is $1 million more than what the state provides.

Though voters approved the district's levy in February, the cuts still are necessary, district officials say. During the election campaign, district leaders said cuts would be necessary even if the levy passed.

Voters approved collecting as much as $19 million in 2009 for the district, which would be $2.27 per $1,000 of assessed property value, or $681 on a $300,000 home.

The entire busing program is on the list of budget cut options. The district would save $1 million if all transportation, except for special education, were cut. Other busing cuts, such as eliminating buses for those who live within one mile of a child's school, also are on the table.

Crawford said transportation, which is mostly paid for with state money, was included among the budget cut options to show how much of the district's general fund is used for that purpose.

Board members had not seen the list Monday night when The Olympian called, but Bob Shirley said at first blush, the list was "sobering."

"I read this to be a long list of possibilities," he said. "I hope the public will make recommendations."

Board member Frank Wilson said he hopes the public lets the board know what programs should remain.

"I'm hoping to hear some consistency about what programs are really important and what (programs) have more impact," he said.

Last year, Shirley and board member Russ Lehman voted against the district's budget, saying systemic changes were needed to prevent cuts year after year.

"The way education is funded right now is totally unsustainable," Lehman said Monday. "We need to get the budget on a sustainable path."

Venice Buhain covers education for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5445 or vbuhain@theolympian.com.