Kent School District administration details $7.1 million in cuts and hiring freeze to preserve 5% reserve

Kent School District finance staff presented a high-level summary of implemented FY2025–26 budget reductions at a special board retreat, saying the changes were necessary to preserve a minimum ending fund balance and avoid costly short-term borrowing.

Budget presenter Mister Paramo told the board that staff implemented budget cuts "effective immediately to maintain a minimum ending fund balance of 5%," and listed two headline items: a $5,200,000 reduction in central-office MSOC (materials, supplies, operating costs) and a $1,900,000 hiring freeze on vacant positions. He also identified a $2,000,000 reduction in deferred maintenance (staff had previously budgeted $2,300,000 and spent about $300,000), and said central-office vacant positions accounted for about 18.23 FTE and $1,985,269 in salaries and benefits.

Board members pressed for additional context: they asked that the same numbers be presented as percentages of departmental budgets and for a clearer indication of how many positions — and which salary bands — were affected so they can explain impacts to the public. "If we're spending $10 million and we take $1 million off, that's a 10% reduction — that nuance matters," one director said.

Paromo said detailed backup is available and that staff would compile answers to questions raised at the retreat. He also outlined near-term public engagement: a community budget meeting at Kent Meridian (Jan. 12), an online budget meeting (Jan. 24) and a public presentation on Feb. 4. Superintendent Bell and staff asked the board to identify how they want the numbers presented to community audiences (pie charts, percentages, staffing impacts) so staff can prepare targeted outreach.

Why it matters: Hayes had emphasized earlier in the retreat that a robust ending fund balance protects against state-apportionment timing problems that can force districts to borrow for payroll; she cited a prior example in which her district paid roughly $100,000 in interest when reserves dipped. The administration said these cuts were made to avoid similar cash-flow and staffing risks.

Next steps: staff will provide detailed slides and percentage breakdowns requested by board members, answer questions about the staffing implications of the hiring freeze, and circulate a written summary ahead of the public budget meetings. No formal board vote on these specific cuts was recorded at the retreat; administration described the items as implemented actions and promised follow-up detail.