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Jan Beauchamp strode into a meeting room at the East Valley School District administrative office earlier this week with some good news – it turns out 100 additional high school students had signed up for the 2008-09 school year.
With declining enrollment becoming a familiar trend over the last five years, the bulletin provided another encouraging sign for a district that continues its resurgence from a series of budgetary woes and staff cutbacks. As is the case for every school district in Washington, EVSD will receive an allotment of state funds for each student enrolled from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Among other changes, East Valley, like its neighbor to the south, Central Valley, will start the school year next week with a new superintendent. John Glenewinkel, former superintendent of the Ellensburg School District, was hired in April to replace interim superintendent Debra Howard, who moved on to accept a similar role in Selah.
Beauchamp, EVSD assistant superintendent, said the arrival of Glenewinkel has already had a positive impact on those who work here.
“The staff really appreciates John’s enthusiasm and support,” Beauchamp said.
The district cut $1.8 million from its budget for the 2007-08 school year, reductions that impacted areas like staff, programs and supplies. On the bright side, when the district closed its books for 2007, the unreserved fund balance stood at $550,000, instead of a figure that was anticipated to be under $100,000.
“Last year, we ended up with more enrollment, which translated to more revenue,” said Al Swanson, EVSD finance director.
When the numbers for the 2007-08 school year are tallied on Aug. 31, Swanson said the reserve is expected to be $1.3 million, or about 3 percent of the district’s overall expenditures.
The increase, Swanson said, means EVSD has “restored some of the budget cuts from a year ago.” The district has brought all but one of the certified staff back. Additional counselors, librarians and maintenance employees have also been hired.
Glenewinkel said staff remains “enthusiastic but cautious” about the latest changes.
“I think it will take some time,” he said. “We just need to continue to move forward consistently.”
Glenewinkel, who noted he would ideally like to have the reserve fund at 4 to 5 percent, said the strides the district has made should not be taken lightly.
“If you look at the work a lot of folks in the district have done to bring us back in a stable position, I think there needs to be a celebration for that effort,” he said.
The district will also benefit from a $400,000 grant to support health and fitness programs – $200,000 of which will be implemented this year.
Despite the positive financial forecast, the district is still feeling the effects of two failed votes earlier this year that would have brought $33 million in bond funds – and $22.7 million in state matching money – to support renovation efforts at East Valley Middle School, Otis Orchards Elementary and Mountain
View Middle School. The initiative, which required a 60-percent margin to pass, received just over 54 of the ballot in March and just short of 56 percent in May.
Glenewinkel said a preliminary meeting to discuss the bond will be held next month. EVSD will have a replacement maintenance and operations levy on the ballot next spring.
Swanson said approval of the funding would make a significant difference in addressing infrastructure repairs and maintenance at aging schools. Currently, money for such work comes from the district’s general operational budget.
“It’s one of the district’s greatest challenges,” said Swanson. “Every dollar that we use to fix something takes away from educational programs.”
As the state implements new math standards for grades K-12, EVSD will be adding another period of math at the middle school level and expanding the range of math courses for high school students.
“I think it will be a great benefit,” Beauchamp said of the new syllabus. “It’s clearer and easier to understand.
EVSD continues to make strides in retaining enrollment through high school, employing a “team concept” for ninth graders in which students remain with the same group through much of the school day. The approach translated into every freshman at EVHS moving onto 10th grade by the program’s third year.
The district has brought back an assessment coordinator this year to evaluate
“We want to understand why students may be struggling and what we can do to increase retention,” Glenewinkel said.
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By
Craig Howard
