Eatonville district reports enrollment stabilization and unexpected one-time revenue gains, warns of rising insurance costs

School district staff reported to the board that enrollment stabilized in May after a one-month drop of 19 students in April and that several one-time or variable revenue items have helped the fund balance this year.

The finance presenter said the district is now expecting about $280,000 more in general apportionment than anticipated and listed additional positive variances: approximately $24,000 in interest earnings, $41,000 in para-training reimbursements, $155,000 in state special education reimbursements, $129,000 in food service receipts and $162,000 in transportation operations. At the same time, the presenter cautioned that some of these gains are not guaranteed annually and recommended conservative budgeting.

The superintendent underscored the longer-term pressure on revenues versus expenditures and flagged a sharp increase in insurance costs: district staff had expected an 18% increase earlier in the year but were later informed the increase would be closer to 40%, and the speaker described a three-year insurance increase totaling roughly 86.86% for the district. The superintendent said the district will continue to press legislators for support and emphasized the need to budget carefully given the uncertain statewide outlook.

The presentation also referenced a news report that Moody’s and local coverage put Washington state on notice with a negative financial outlook and potential risks to the state bond rating, a context the presenters said reinforces caution when forecasting revenues.

No formal budget amendments were adopted at the meeting; staff offered the update for board awareness and planning.