Boise School District lays out budget priorities and staffing shifts as enrollment falls

Deputy Superintendent Nick Smith told the Boise School District Board of Trustees on May 11 that the district is preparing staffing adjustments as enrollment declines and operating costs rise.

"High level, as you know, our total budget revenue is over $449,000,000," Smith said, adding that current general fund expenditures exceed $352,000,000 and that a large share of spending—more than 80%—goes to salaries and benefits. Smith said the district has budgeted for an anticipated decline of about 650 students next year after steady decreases from roughly 28,000 students in 2014 to about 21,700 now.

Smith described how special education growth is changing district needs: the budget includes three new self-contained special education classrooms (with teachers), about 10 additional paraprofessionals to support increased caseloads, a 0.2 FTE increase for a school psychologist and two new GATE teachers at Cynthia Mann Elementary. He said several positions previously funded by the district foundation or federal IDEA grant will shift to the general fund to sustain programs.

The presentation compared state-funded FTE allocations with actual district employment: the district is funded for 75.61 administrative FTEs but employs 100.35; the state funds 1,029.35 instructional FTEs while the district employs 1,446.61; and the state-funded pupil-personnel allocation is 79.65 FTEs compared with 205.17 employed by the district. Smith said the district is responsible for costs above the state allocation.

Smith warned of operating-cost increases that will squeeze the general fund: "medical insurance is anticipated to increase 9.69%," he said, and characterized that rise as about a $33,400,000 impact. He also listed utility cost increases the district is planning for: water +12%, sewer +10%, electricity +2%, gas +4% and trash +4%.

To respond, the district plans to manage staffing through attrition and reassignment rather than immediate reductions-in-force (RIF). Smith listed specific planned changes, including a reduction of one junior-high assistant principal position, shared PE and music teachers at smaller elementary schools, reductions of about 13.17 secondary teachers and 14 elementary teachers tied to the salary-based apportionment decline, and a net reduction of roughly 1.5 school-based classified positions.

Smith said the district also identified $2,500,000 in short-term operational savings from department-level budget reductions and modest cuts such as deferring curriculum adoptions. He cautioned, however, that some fixes are temporary and may not be sustainable long term.

Trustees asked for additional detail: they requested comparative data on how district-funded supports (counselors, OTs, nurses and other pupil personnel) affect classroom outcomes and asked staff to provide a cost estimate for state-funded half-day versus the district's full-day kindergarten model at a future budget hearing.

The board and administration noted the budget process will continue: the next budget workshop is May 28, and the formal public hearing and final adoption are scheduled for the June 8 regular meeting.