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Bonneville board approves levy contingency plan that could cut PE, music and all‑day kindergarten
Summary
The Bonneville Joint District board approved a phased contingency plan outlining targeted cuts if a proposed supplemental levy fails, including eliminating elementary PE/paraprofessionals, reassigning coordinators and potentially dropping all‑day kindergarten in later phases.
The Bonneville Joint District board on a voice vote approved a phased contingency plan staff said would take effect only if a supplemental levy fails. District staff told trustees the plan is intended to give the board and community a clear, step‑by‑step set of reductions rather than leave the question open.
The plan’s first‑year reductions total about $990,000 and would include eliminating elementary PE and music paraprofessional positions (approximately $410,000) and reassigning two certified coordinators into classroom roles (about $210,000). Staff presented the approach as phased and reversible in part: "If the levy doesn't pass, we would eliminate the PE and music program from the elementary schools," the presenter said, noting the district would aim to minimize immediate classroom disruption while preserving a fund‑balance floor.
If community support remains insufficient in subsequent years, the plan’s second‑year scenarios could reach roughly $2 million and include eliminating all‑day kindergarten and further reductions to the GATE program, CTE expansion funding and some grounds/maintenance line items. Staff emphasized the numbers are contingent and intended to be a menu of options for the board and public to consider, not a final, irreversible decision.
Board members discussed the plan’s assumptions—chiefly the expectation that a later ballot might yield higher turnout—and debated whether to split levy questions on the ballot or run separate questions. Staff said the district has used federal ESSER funds and one‑time state appropriations in recent years and that those sources will be exhausted, making supplemental local funding essential for the programs in question.
The motion to adopt the supplemental‑levy contingency plan passed by voice vote. The board instructed staff to publish the phased plan and to prepare materials for public review and outreach.
Action taken: board approved the supplemental‑levy contingency plan; staff will publish the phased reductions and proceed with public outreach.
