A message from the Superintendent

March 28, 2012

Good morning,

As we put together our budget for the 2012-13 school year, which will go before the School Board for a vote in July, we will once again have to make difficult decisions. Our budget gap for next year is projected at about $22 million. This comes after several years of budget shortfalls. Seattle Public Schools has lost $46 million in state revenue over the past three years.

We are already a lean organization, but this year we will once again look for central office reductions as we balance the budget. This year’s central cut will be much less than in the past several years – we are expecting a total reduction of around $1 million, compared to last year’s reduction of over $8 million, and more than $3 million from the year before.

Tonight at a School Board work session, staff will share recommendations to close the expected $22 million shortfall, and central cuts are part of these recommendations. I am attaching a PowerPoint presentation that will be made public tonight. Nothing is final, and I plan to host a meeting with all Central Office staff before Spring Break to talk about next steps.

Central office managers will be asked to make recommendations for cuts based on 1) how positions/activities/funding aligns with the district’s core mission, and 2) the risk vs. return of implementing these reductions. I know this means difficult decisions across the board, at a time when many of you are already working long hours.

Again, we will talk more about this in person. Please look for a meeting invitation soon. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please ask me or Duggan Harman, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance.

Thank you for all that you do every day on behalf of our students.

Sincerely,


Susan

Susan Enfield, Ed.D.
Interim Superintendent
Seattle Public Schools