Bellevue district outlines $16 million gap, schedules public comment and vote on cuts

Bellevue School District Superintendent (name not specified) told the Board of Directors on Jan. 21 that the district must produce a spending-reduction plan that closes about $16 million in next-year spending.

The superintendent said the district collected input through about 52 listening sessions and a community survey (which closes the day after the meeting) and will publish a formal spending-reduction proposal on Feb. 6. The board will review the proposal at the Feb. 25–26 meeting, a public-comment period will run through early March, the district will hold a special public-comment meeting March 6, and the board is scheduled to vote on the spending-reduction plan at its regular meeting March 13. The superintendent added that the legislative session ends April 27, a date that could affect final revenues.

The timeline matters because the superintendent said state funding remains uncertain and the district is simultaneously advocating at the state level. He described testifying before the Washington State Senate Education Committee in support of four bills, including measures on special education, material/supplies/operating costs (MSOCS) and transportation.

Public comment during the meeting included one speaker, Julie Bridal, who urged the district to protect student-wellbeing programs. Bridal told directors that supports such as the district’s Mental Health Assistance Team (MHAT) and related counselors, psychologists and social workers “save lives” and cautioned that those services are easy targets in budget reductions. She asked the board and administration to evaluate programs on the basis of current student needs and to consider the ripple effects on classrooms if mental-health staffing is reduced.

Board members acknowledged the competing pressures. In the superintendent’s update the district noted $180,000 in grants had supported middle-school field trips this year and that the administration is balancing program priorities while pursuing additional state funding.

The board will preview themes from the community listening sessions at a study session immediately following the Jan. 21 meeting and expects those themes to inform the Feb. 6 proposal.

The superintendent repeatedly urged community members to use the district survey and to attend the special March 6 comment meeting so the board receives public input before the March 13 vote.

Ending: The district’s next public milestones are the Feb. 6 proposal publication, the March 6 special public-comment meeting, and the March 13 board vote; any change in state funding by April 27 could alter the district’s final plan.