Kamiak ASB presents budget process and plans to district board, cites parking revenue loss and attendance goals

Kamiak High School student leaders and their ASB advisor detailed the school's student-led budgeting process and proposed allocations to the Mukilteo School District Board of Directors on June 10, including plans to offset lost parking revenue and increase event attendance.

ASB advisor Miss Stengel and elected student officers explained that individual clubs and activities submit grant requests and present to a budget panel, which vets membership numbers, past spending and fundraising plans before deciding allocations. "To make the decision-making process as fair and equitable as possible, the budget panel is to every single club that determine how much each club, sport, and fine arts need for the next year," said Patrick Pompersonsak, Kamiak senate vice president.

Students described specific allocations: drama requested $3,900 for the coming year and the panel allocated $2,000 after considering attendance declines related to Performing Arts Center renovations; Key Club asked for $1,175 but the panel denied funding requests that would pay advisors' expenses and recommended increased membership dues and fundraising instead.

Students and staff told the board the ASB expects to lose about $19,000 in parking revenue next year and roughly $6,000 from vending changes during class time; the ASB left an additional $19,000 in reserves to cushion that change. "As of next year, Kamiak closed charging for parking, which is a large source of revenue as we made $19,000 last year," a district presenter explained during the budget discussion.

Student leaders outlined goals for next year: increase revenue from events while reducing costs, boost ASB card uptake (ASB cards cost $45 this year; those eligible for free and reduced-price lunch receive ASB cards at no cost), make clubs more self-sufficient and raise attendance at games and performances through targeted PR and leadership programs. Miss Stengel said leadership coursework will expand next year to offer more student-leader capacity-building and college-credit leadership classes.

Board members asked questions about revenue substitutes and the financial rules governing ASB spending. A district financial presenter explained ASB funds are proprietary and must be budgeted so expenditures do not exceed authorized totals; schools with higher fund balances can absorb shortfalls for a limited time but overall budgets must balance.

No formal board vote was required on the ASB presentation. The board thanked the students for their presentation and encouraged student leadership development as part of district financial education.