Eatonville School District staff provided an enrollment and budget status update, reporting enrollment roughly 10 students below the district budget and a cautiously optimistic year‑end fund balance boosted by increased transportation funding and higher special education units.

District staff said revenues were slightly ahead of projections because of higher ridership-driven transportation funding and increased special education enrollment. Expenditures are tracking to plan and the district’s cash‑flow documents show variability in state payments by month, which staff said underscores the importance of maintaining a minimum fund balance for months when expenditures exceed receipts.

Why it matters: District leaders said the improved cash position could prevent a previously budgeted drawdown of about $800,000. However, staff cautioned that changes in the state funding formulas enacted or calculated this year could hurt the district’s revenue in the coming budgets.

District staff described technical changes in state calculations — including multiplier changes and special education formula adjustments — that may not benefit Eatonville. A presenter noted the Legislature “did not do us any favors this year” and that the district often falls between funding categories for both small‑district supplements and larger-district allocations.

Board members and staff said they remain “cautiously optimistic,” emphasizing the need for conservative planning because the final revenue calculator and official state allocations were still pending at the time of the meeting.

Ending: Staff asked the board to continue monitoring the state revenue calculator and to plan budget scenarios for next year based on both baseline and reduced revenue outcomes.