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Superintendent reports steady enrollment gains, kindergarten rebound and OSPI funding work; Comcast donates laptops for students experiencing homelessness
Summary
The superintendent reported that district enrollment is up about 218 students versus last year, kindergarten counts have nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, and the district is engaged with OSPI on funding-equity work. Comcast Xfinity donated 100 laptops to students experiencing homelessness.
Superintendent Dr. Amati told the Bellevue School District Board of Directors on Sept. 18 that enrollment is above last year’s numbers and that kindergarten counts have rebounded significantly since the pandemic.
Dr. Amati said the district’s day-13 headcount shows 19,490 students, up roughly 218 from the same point last year (19,272) and about on target with the budgeted enrollment increase of 200 students. The district’s budgeted target for the year is approximately 19,600; district staff said they are confident the official October 1 head count will show continued growth toward that goal.
The superintendent also highlighted kindergarten as a key indicator of future enrollment strength. She said the district had 1,214 kindergartners as of Sept. 18 — four fewer than the pre-pandemic (2020) October 1 count of 1,218 — and said the upward trend in kindergarten enrollment is an encouraging early sign for longer-term enrollment stability.
On state funding, Dr. Amati said she is serving on an OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction) K–12 funding equity work group working with other superintendents to review how the state distributes K–12 revenue. She said the work group will study funding formulas in 2025 and 2026 and that the district intends to work with labor partners, PTSA and legislators to pursue changes in the 2027–28 legislative cycle.
Dr. Amati previewed a staff recognition program the district plans to pilot, describing five values that will be used to honor staff who exemplify district priorities. She said the program will begin with nominations from the board and move to a broader community nomination process.
The superintendent also announced a private-sector donation: Comcast Xfinity delivered a truckload of 100 new laptops to the district’s Welcome Center for distribution to students experiencing homelessness. The district said the laptops were delivered discreetly to preserve student dignity; the Welcome Center will handle distribution.
Dr. Amati closed by thanking staff for managing resources tightly during a period of constrained budgets, using an anecdote about making do with existing tools as an illustration of staff resourcefulness.
District leadership noted that more detailed enrollment breakdowns and October head-count figures will be provided in the October study session, where the chief operating officer and interim chief financial officer will present detailed data.
