Why is the District in a position to reduce its budget?
As with most school districts in the state, our district continues to face reductions to our budget due in part to
- the state’s inadequate school funding formula which continues to woefully underfund
- special education, transportation, and materials, supplies, and operating costs (MSOC)
- enrollment declines
- increases in staff pay and benefits
- and, just like with family budgets, inflation has driven operational costs for school districts to historic highs for fuel, food, electricity, and insurance premiums (100% increase over 5 years). Yet, state funding has not kept pace, leaving schools struggling to cover even basic necessities.
What steps are being taken now to reduce next year's budget?
We're taking steps now to make reductions needed for the upcoming school year. We have initiated efforts to reduce or eliminate spending this school year. We've halted non-essential discretionary expenditures, and we will evaluate each open staffing position for timing and necessity for the remainder of this year.
School Board members and Superintendent Dr. Damien Pattenaude have personally met with our district's state legislative representatives to discuss school funding needs. Additionally, Renton School Board members and Superintendent Pattenaude joined with leadership from all our union partners to sign a declaration outlining the district’s legislative priorities that will be presented to our district’s state representatives to emphasize school funding needs including, fully funding special education, updating the prototypical school funding model, increasing funding for Education Support Professionals, lowering class size, fixing the pupil transportation formula, and more.
NOTE: We've been asked who are the district's 2025 state legislators. Please see the full list below.
How are students and schools impacted by the budget reductions?
While any reduction in staffing and school budgets ultimately impact school operations, students are at the heart of our work and our budget decision making. We prioritize student-focused learning, activities, and supports, consider the long-term academic and fiscal impacts of budget decisions, and provide adequate resources for operational support for our students, staffs, and families. We're committed to continuing to be fiscally responsible and remain good stewards of taxpayer dollars.
Will this impact athletics or activities?
Student athletics and activities will take priority in our budget decision-making. We are working diligently to make reductions as far away from schools, classrooms, and student experience as possible, knowing that every part of our school system is important to our students and community.
What is the timeline for the budget work?
Work on the 2025-2026 school year budget has been underway since November as we reviewed early enrollment projections and began to estimate our revenue and expenses. We will continue through the spring to determine what can be reduced in our district to help balance the budget. We anticipate presenting a budget for the public and board to review in early June and will recommend adoption of the budget to the School Board in June 2025.
Can the District use voter-approved Capital Projects funding or school construction funding to soften this general fund reduction?
No. School construction dollars approved by our voters are used only to build, modernize, and renovate or upgrade school buildings and support facilities. Those funds are fully protected, and can only be used for the stated purposes. We will hold true to our promises to complete construction and renovation projects presented in our election measures.
Why not close a school with lower attendance?
Closing a school is very impactful for families, students, staff, and within our communities and not part of our reduction plan at this time. Closing a school saves about $1-$1.3 million in current dollars as the students, teachers, and needed support staff get distributed elsewhere in the system, and transportation costs may increase. A closed school still must be maintained and any rental income from leasing a closed school must be deposited (by law) to our Capital fund. While closing low-attendance schools can seem like a straightforward way to cut costs during budget reductions, it's often a complex decision with significant drawbacks. There are always additional expenses associated with closing a school like adding transportation, facility upgrades to mange additional students, and staffing adjustments that could add staff to accommodate more students at the receiving schools.
If the state legislature provides additional funding for the coming school year, how would we use that funding?
Unless those additional resources come with specific direction on its use, we would work to restore some of our depleted fund balance to ensure the district's fiscal future. The legislative session is scheduled to conclude in late April, and the budget is usually completed at the end of the session. The session can also be extended if the legislature needs additional time to complete their work.
Is this a short-term problem?
If enrollment continues to decline, and costs for insurance, energy, supplies, goods and services, and pay and benefits continue to increase, we will likely be in this position again and will need to be vigilant about aligning our expenditures carefully to our revenue.
What budget reductions have we made in previous years?
Since 2020, we've worked hard to prioritize student-focused learning, activities, and supports and have made reductions in various areas as far from student classroom experiences as possible. Reductions have been made specifically in districtwide leadership positions and at the district administrative level.
- 2020-21: $10.5M reduction (Equity Director/budget, reduction of sped cert/classified, custodial, various Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs (MSOC) reductions)
- 2023-24: $8.2M reduction (numerous unfilled positions reduced, sped clerical, transfer staff to grant or capital funding, various MSOC reductions)
- 2024-25 • $21M reduction (all remaining ESSER funded staff/initiatives, assistant principals (elementary & Talley High), chief of schools, Renton Academy manager, elementary BIs, curriculum staff, human resources and business office staff, certificated staffing adjustments through attrition, custodial, various MSOC reductions)
Additionally, due to state underfunding, ever-increasing operating costs and costs for goods and services like fuel, food, electricity, and insurance premiums, along with decreasing student enrollment, we've had to make budget reductions for the past several years. Here's a look at the state's underfunding of our district since 2020.
What is Ending Fund Balance?
The ending fund balance is a bit like a savings account. There are two parts to it, reserved fund balance and unreserved fund balance. If the district spends less than our revenue each year, the remainder is added to fund balance. The reserved fund balance exists for assets we have for a specific purpose. This includes carryover – or unspent funds – from programs with inflexible expenditures. The unreserved fund balance is liquid cash – available to use on any district expense and available to cushion the months when our revenue from the State is lower, as we are not paid in 12 equal payments.
Our fund balance is currently at 4%. Both for the upcoming budget and beyond, we must begin the process of restoring the fund balance to our 7% target so that we have sufficient resources on hand, which places our district in a stronger financial position in the short and long term to address any unanticipated fiscal issues.
Why is Fund Balance important?
A school district fund balance is important because it allows the district to cover unexpected expenses, manage cash flow fluctuations throughout the year, maintain stability during economic downturns, and ultimately ensure the continuity of educational programs without major disruptions to classroom instruction, all while potentially improving the district's credit rating and lowering borrowing costs.
What can I do to help?
You can share your concerns locally with our Superintendent/Budget team by calling (425) 204-2361 or emailing. If you want to share your concerns with your state representatives, you can find out who they are and how to reach them at Washington State Legislature Finder.
