Any position that is vacated mid-year and is essential to safety or general operations (i.e. classroom teacher or bus driver) will be replaced.

Each building and department have budgets that they are still able to access. The freeze is temporary until we can determine exactly how much needs to be reduced this year in order to end with a positive fund balance. In the interim, we are, of course, allowing some purchases that are essential, but we are reviewing each purchase at the district level before it is made. After we determine the exact amount for reduction this year, we will allow buildings and departments to make purchases as needed and as long as they stay within their overall yearly budgeted amount.

The average committee costs approximately $10,000-$13,000 per year to run. We are reviewing each committee, potential funding sources (e.g., grants), and the necessity of running the committee this school year. 

We would be very grateful for help from the community. We would suggest a donation to Bainbridge School Foundation. We work closely with BSF, and they are acutely aware of our budget landscape. Donations to BSF directly support our BISD students and staff. Find out more at Bainbridge Schools Foundation’s website. 

When enrollment is budgeted, it is on a Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) basis. It appears that the numbers that were provided for ALE enrollment were headcount rather than FTE.

The District will need to make enough reductions beyond simply balancing the budget for 2024-2025 so that there are funds available to repay the loans within the prescribed 12 months.

State law prescribes that the loan be repaid with interest, even if it is to ourselves. The interest rate is the prevailing rate at the time of the loan and is set in the Board resolution authorizing the loan.

We are trying to reduce and/or eliminate as many extra hours as possible that are not mandatory. Unfortunately, there is no scenario in which we have a plethora of drivers waiting to assume hours that our mechanics have to pick up.

The district no longer has a choice since it is operating with a reduced fund balance to start the year.

We have held open and transparent meetings with staff and with our community. We are sharing detailed information about our current budget forecast and how it differs from the October 2023 budget forecast. Please review this slide deck, especially slide #11. 

CTE funding can only be used for CTE programming. When staff salaries and benefits increase faster than state IPD (Implicit Price Deflator), a greater portion of the funding is utilized for those pieces rather than supplies.

An increase in legal fees is included in the projections, but not possible awards.

While the actual number is a moving target depending on the 2024-25 school year’s spending, we do know that at minimum, reductions of $4 million are needed.

With staffing comprising more than 80% of the budget, it cannot be balanced without staffing reductions.The goal is to complete this in a manner that least impacts to a student's forward facing day.

The hopeful answer is no. We are going to work incredibly hard to keep reductions as far away from our students as possible.

It is too early to know this level of detailed information.

We are in the last year of a contract with Fastbridge, so are not able to eliminate that cost. SBA is state mandated and does not cost us money to administer.

It is too early to know this, but we will work collaboratively with labor partners when making decisions about the reductions that need to be made.

Yes, this will of course be a consideration. As the superintendent, Amii Thompson is not negotiating an increase in compensation as a part of her 3-year contract.

Yes, we have eliminated all release days for the remainder of the year unless they are grant-funded.

The Capital Projects Department is working to explore options and establish preliminary pricing figures for seismic retrofits at both facilities. Should the cost of the seismic retrofits be feasible, Capital staff will prepare to engage the City Engineering Department to start the permitting process and contractors in bid solicitation this spring. Then, perform the work as quickly as possible (ideally during the summer months).

The facility rental fee schedule was updated and approved by the school board of directors at the end of September 2024. Due to an interlocal agreement, BIMPRD does not pay facility rental fees for routine events facilitated by BIMPRD staff.

Having completed a significant amount of clean-up this past spring and summer, the goal is to be back on track for a June HR budget deadline. The District is also working with PSESD to build a tool that would allow these "hidden" budget issues to be flagged upon review by PSESD staff when the budget is submitted.

We are working closely with PSESD on both this year's budget and a plan for future years. BISD is willing to accept all assistance available while still aiming to retain local control of reductions.

Processes are being built for multiple avenues of verifying and analyzing the budget within the HR department, business office, and PSESD.

We have unique funding challenges that have presented themselves post-McCleary. Our diminished levy capacity, coupled with the collection of minimal federal funds, is a huge part of it. Additionally, we are woefully underfunded by the state, and our expenditures continue to outpace our revenues. This is not unique to Bainbridge; it is being felt by districts around the state.

It is not a positive thing to enter binding conditions. We do want to retain local control on the reduction decisions that we make, and we want to be able to do that in a collaborative manner with our labor partners. Additionally, we are working closely with the financial team at PSESD to receive guidance.

The state of Washington has a constitutional mandate to fully fund basic education. Unfortunately, they continue to fall short of this responsibility. We are incredibly grateful for the local support we receive and hope not to have to ask for even more. We are working diligently to create a good advocacy plan for this upcoming legislative session.

We have not heard of this as a possibility, especially for a district of our size.

We are looking into our sale of land and have been since last summer. Additionally, we are working closely with BSF and are creating a legislative advocacy coalition ahead of the legislative session.

Supporting Bainbridge Schools Foundation will directly impact BISD, and lending your voice to legislative advocacy efforts will make a big difference!

Yes, this is something that we revisit each year, and consumable decisions are made by each grade-level. If consumables are not being used, we will not continue to order them.