North Mason School Board weighs cuts at study session

The North Mason School Board's study session Monday went over possible ways to meet a looming budget shortfall because of a failed levy vote in February. The levy was a renewal of a levy approved by voters in 2022 that is set to expire at the end of 2025.

The district's current budget includes levy funds through half of 2025's budget.

"We will still have half of 2025 to collect in the fall. Having failed the February levy means that we have half of what we would have had this year that we can plan on for our budget going forward," Superintendent Dana Rosenbach said at the session.

Washington allows four potential dates to run a levy - February, April, August or November. Board members previously declined to place the levy on the April ballot. A levy vote is allowed twice in a calendar year, according to state law.

For the August ballot, board members would have to submit a resolution by May 2 and for the November ballot, by Aug. 5.

Rosenbach presented budget guidelines at the session "based on not having the levy dollars," she said. The updated budget will be presented at a later board meeting. The district will have final staffing and budget levels after reviewing enrollment projections for next year, Rosenbach said.

She said staffing cuts will have to happen.

The district's next "Community Conversation" event will be talking about the budget, according to Rosenbach.

"Our projected costs that we have to cut are about 9 percent of our current budget. That's just based on the cuts that we need to make to bring us into balance on our ending fund balance, or to get us closer. Also to make up for not having a levy collection in the second half of the next school year," she said.

The district will have to start immediately cutting staff after the community conversation, Rosenbach said. Regarding the cuts, "They're all going to hurt and they're all going to hurt somebody," Rosenbach said. "It's worth hearing what our community has to say and our board giving input."

Board member Nicole Gonzales Timmons wanted to know whether furlough days were an option.

Rosenbach said administration hadn't discussed it with bargaining units.

"The reality is that the savings to the district for furlough days would not have a big enough impact on our budget and would potentially have a pretty significant impact on student learning," Rosenbach said, adding she wouldn't recommend furloughs.

The number of staff the district needs to cut also takes into account retiring employees, she told Gonzales Timmons.

Staff cuts for certificated employees will come from provisional staff.

"Staff who are in their first three years with the district. Our certificated cuts will come from that group of staff," according to Rosenbach.