Tumwater Schools project increasing enrollment at budget hearing

At its July 29 meeting, the Tumwater School District (TSD) Board held a public hearing on the proposed 2024-25 budget and extended its General Fund budget for the current year. 

In the same boat as every school district that needs to adopt a budget to open schools, TSD’s budget adoption is currently slated for its August 22 board meeting. 

TSD Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Ben Rarick emphasized that although the district is in a “stable cash position,” the district “needs to be vigilant” because of an operating deficit in the general fund that will need to be addressed over the next year to ensure fiscal stability. 

“This is a difficult time for school districts in the land of school budgets, and this article indicates that there are five districts that are literally in the red,” Rarick shared, referencing a Seattle Times article.  Tumwater is not one of those five. 

Rarick also mentioned that Assistant Executive Director Dan Steele of the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASDA) noted that districts not doing cuts this year are probably on track to do so because it seems to be the general trajectory of school finance in the state. 

Enrollment 

TSD’s enrollment for the 2023-24 school year was down by 162.6 full-time-equivalent students from 2022-23, and the projected budget for the recently completed school year slightly differed from the actual expenses.  

The 2024-25 budget projects K-12 enrollment to increase by 40.4 students, with a reduced enrollment of 19.4 in the Running Start and Open Doors programs. The NMVSC anticipates an additional 41.8 students to be enrolled there, moving from 380 in 2023-24 to 428.2 in 2024-25. 

Total K-12 enrollment, budgeted at 5,828.73 – including Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) – is projected to increase to 5,892.6 students.

General fund budget extension 

Because of the discrepancy between the projected and actual enrollment figures, the finance department proposed an extension of the 2023-24 General Fund.  

The budget resolution presented and approved during the meeting amends the General Fund budget for fiscal year 2023-24, increasing its appropriation from $107,060,047 to $114,560,047. 

The General Fund's revenues and beginning fund balance are sufficient to cover additional expenditures, requiring a $7.5 million increase from the 2023-24 school year appropriation.