The Governor’s budget, proposed in December, would result in cuts to Lake Washington School District of approximately $2.7 million. (We now expect the final cuts to be even larger.) The largest portion of these cuts was in the Student Achievement fund (Initiative 728 or I-728). Voters approved I-728 in November 2000. This initiative provided funds to school districts to be used in any of the following areas:

• Class Size Reductions in Grades K-4
• Targeted Assistance in Grades 5-12
• Extended Learning for Grades K-12
• Professional Development
• Pre-Kindergarten support
• Additions to school facilities related to class size reductions

For 2008-09, districts are receiving $458.10 per student FTE for a total of about $10.4 million dollars.

The district formed a committee of staff and community members to determine how to spend these dollars and how to allocate them over time. The district currently spends these dollars in the following areas:

• Class size reduction – kindergarten and first grade. Currently reduces class sizes by about five students on average ($2.6 million)
• Additional teachers for schools with higher levels of high needs students ($1.0 million)
• Consulting teachers providing direct support for brand new teachers ($.7 million)
• Professional development ($1.2 million)
• Three additional training days for teachers ($1.3 million)
• Ready Start Preschool for at risk students ($.9 million)
• Safety Net programs providing extra support for students not yet at standard ($2.3 million)
• Summer Literacy Program for second graders and ninth graders not yet at standard ($.2 million)
• English Language Learner program, grades seven to 12 ($.3 million)

The Governor’s budget proposed cuts of about 24% of these dollars or $2.1 million. Due to the increasing state deficit, the district is planning for the potential that the House and Senate budget proposals will propose even greater cuts to I-728.