Bellevue School District approves apportionment advance as superintendent outlines $20 million spending‑reduction plan

The Bellevue School District Board on Feb. 6 approved Resolution 2025-02 authorizing the district to seek an apportionment advance from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to help cover a projected June cash shortfall, while Superintendent Dr. Kelly Aramaki presented a plan to reduce district spending by $20,000,000 for the 2025–26 school year.

The apportionment request would ask OSPI for up to 10% of the district’s Basic Education apportionment (approximately $21,000,000), with the district’s staff saying the actual request will match the projected cash‑flow shortage of about $15,000,000–$17,000,000. The board voted to approve the resolution; the motion carried with no recorded opposition.

The spending‑reduction proposal Dr. Aramaki presented includes three primary buckets: cuts to central office staffing and leadership, reductions in programs funded by expiring ESSER federal grants, and staff reductions at school buildings. “Tonight I’m gonna be presenting to the school board my spending reduction plan proposal for next year,” Dr. Aramaki said. She described the financial situation as “devastating” and said the district’s reserve balance has fallen below the board’s 5% target.

Why this matters: without action the district projects it will run out of available cash in June, creating the risk of ending the fiscal year with a negative fund balance and possible placement on OSPI’s binding‑conditions list. In that…