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Program cuts may not happen in 2009-10

By Clare Jensen

Tacoma Weekly
cjensen@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: September 18, 2008

Following a tough budget cycle for Tacoma School District, the district used a one-time monetary fix to cover their $6 million shortfall.

This temporary solution led community and district reps to believe that the next budget cycle could only mean cuts for public school programming.

At a board meeting Sept. 11 Superintendent Art Jarvis said that would not be the case, if the district scrimped and saved all they could through this school year’s established budget.

Jarvis stated that the district plans to “save as much of” the “one-time” money as they can for the next school year – a time when they may, or may not, need it more.

“We have been conservative with projections…and we have had a history of having savings at the end of the year,” said district Chief Financial Officer Ron Hack. “We believe we can come up with that $6 million in efficiencies and savings this year.”

The theory to save as much of the one-time carry-over of the 2008-09 budget for the 2009-10 budget to avoid cutting programs next year left some board members optimistic, while others were wary.

“We’re going to do everything else to make (2009-10) work without cutting programs,” board member Jim Dugan determined after hearing Jarvis’ remarks about finances. “We don’t have to talk about that until next spring.”

Dugan’s main concern was the promise the board made to parents that they would notify the community of any cuts as early as January, so families could plan their child’s education accordingly.

Board member Kurt Miller was put off by the notion that district officials vowed to save the one-time money for next year through efficiencies this year.

“We should have probably been doing that anyways,” he said. “My concern is if we put this off. I want to make sure that we don’t make promises (we can’t keep).”

Jarvis and Hack both stated they were confident that savings this year was doable to create a safety net for the next budget cycle.

“Using that we can at least defer that $6 million,” Hack said, while stressing that will not guarantee there won’t be any shortfall. Depending on the legislature and district enrollment, the shortfall could be up to four percent, or $12 million, so the district should prepare for the worse.

“(The district needs to) allow that one-time money to be available for next year. If nothing gets better,” Jarvis said.

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