Budget Priorities 2024-25

Background

On December 14th, 2023 at the Regular Meeting of the BSD School Board, Dr. Aramaki announced that the District would be pausing the consideration of middle school consolidation for the next two years. Throughout the fall months, the District provided multiple opportunities for parents, students, staff and community to participate in the Middle School Consolidation Study including listening sessions and a survey. The District listened and learned what people love about their schools and what their hopes are for our students. In addition to the community feedback, the following budget-related factors influenced the decision to not recommend the consolidation of middle schools at this time:

• In spring of 2023, the District decreased year over year expenditures by $24 million.
• Enrollment for this school year increased slightly. This was driven by the enrollment of non-resident students, and some returning from private or home school.
• The projected decline in enrollment is not yet impacting middle schools as it has elementary schools.

Waiting two years to consider this option will provide time to see if an increase in innovative programming, a potential post-pandemic enrollment rebound and more affordable housing will reverse or minimize the projected enrollment decline.

The work ahead of us is to shift the conversation from possible middle school consolidation to budget prioritization As Deputy Superintendent of Finance and Operations, Melissa deVita indicated in her budget update to the Board on December 14, 2024, we are anticipating approximately a $10 million budget deficit for 2024-2025, potentially $15 million in 2025-2026 as well as another potential $15 million in 2026-2027. Please see her budget presentation for more details.

Throughout the months of February and March, we will be defining budget priorities as we develop a plan to reduce spending over the next three years including $10 million in budget reductions for 2024-25. We will continue to use our Equity Driven Decision-making process to guide our efforts.

We also encourage families to donate to the Bellevue Schools Foundation, the District’s fundraising partner. Foundation grants are directed to critical programs and to initiatives in each school which aren’t possible through funding from local, state, or federal budgets.