2023-24 Budget

  • The current economic downturn and increased costs of goods and services are causes for many governments, businesses and families to look at their budgets and be more frugal with their spending. The district, like many others, is experiencing this downturn and a myriad of other factors that is affecting our budget. We are committed to working  together to ensure we maintain fiscal integrity while focusing on student learning above all else.

  • The bottom line is, for the 2023-24 school year we are facing a potential $25 - 38 million deficit (or 7 - 10% of the operating budget). While this is substantial, we have encountered and survived difficult times before and are confident we can do it again. There is a list of frequently asked questions and answers below, but here we would like to explain more about the "why". How did this situation arise?

    The 4 "whys' we have a predicted  deficit for the 2023-24 school year (click for more details on each):

    1. Increased cost of goods and services

    2. Increased staffing costs

    3. The state does not cover all basic ed costs.

    4. Unpredictable funding  

    Revenues are not keeping up with expenses

    Over the last several years we have added many great supports and services for our students. We see the limitations of the funding model and need to adjust our expenses to be in line with our revenue. We need to right-size the district.

    Refining the range of deficit

    There are several pending factors that will help narrow down the predicted deficit including:

    • Funding related to finalizing enrollment (February)
    • Funding from the legislative session (May) although we do not expect a big bail out
    • Salary increases based on IPD (May). This is the cost of living adjustment determined by the legislature.
    • Special Services funding from the state (August)
    • Levy Distribution based on CPI (August)

     

    Timing and next steps

    Click to view larger images

    dates of next steps in arrow graphic

     

    Staff timeline

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    We have been gathering staff and family feedback and suggestions on how to reduce the predicted 2023-24 deficit, and we anticipate every department and each school will see budget impacts moving into the 2023-24 school year. We appreciate those who provided feedback via the budget survey launched earlier in January. You can see the summary results of the survey here.

    As we continue to refine a recommendation for the superintendent, who will then provide a recommendation to the board, we are being guided by a set of principles developed in November 2022. 

    Principles guiding our decisions include: 

    • We will preserve items and services that directly affect student learning to the greatest extent possible. 

    • We will be guided by prioritizing Tier 1 instruction led by the Strategic Plan. 

    • We will consider regulatory, legal and contractual requirements as well as space needs. 

    • We will consider consolidating and reorganizing to increase efficiencies. 

    There are frequently asked questions below. If you have any unanswered questions, please email budget@everettsd.org. 

     

    Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why do we have such a big deficit?

  • What is the current approximate deficit this year and next?

  • Will there be reductions in force (RIF) this spring?  

  • Are administrative furloughs an option?

  • Can we sell the Longfellow property and use the money to help reduce our deficit?

  • How could this happen if we supposedly look at long range forecasts?

  • How will you pick what gets cut?

  • Why did we negotiate high salaries?

  • Where will the cuts be? What/who will be cut to balance the district’s budget?

  • What are our opportunities to mitigate the deficit?

  • How will we sustain unfunded mandates?

  • Is basic education underfunding something the Legislature will fix?

  • How will we sustain our success with fewer resources?

  • What do budget cuts mean for my child?

  • You just passed a levy that impacts our taxes, how can you still be in a deficit?

  • How does this impact taxes moving forward?

  • Will there still be X [robotics, extracurriculars, field trips, etc.]?

  • Will there be cuts in athletics [or anything athletic related]?