As we move through the budget planning process, there are a number of factors that drive our level of available revenue. What follows are more of the details specific to revenue acquisition and related trends over time.
Enrollment: The primary driver for revenue from the State of Washington is student enrollment. Blaine School District data indicates that enrollment peaked in the 2005-06 school year at almost 2200 enrolled students. Beginning with the 2006-07 school year, enrollment began to drop off each year and that trend appears to be continuing in the current school year. We now project that we will have 100 fewer students enrolled this year than we saw enrolled in the 2005-06 school year. This decline represents approximately $500,000 less revenue annually from the State of Washington than we would be receiving had enrollment remained constant. |
 |
|---|---|
 |
Fund Balance: At the conclusion of each budget year, the level of district general funds left in investment with the County Treasurer's Office is referred to as "Fund Balance". During the period of time that enrollment was increasing substantially, the "Fund Balance" in the Blaine School District continued to climb as well. With our recent period of enrollment decline, we have made every effort to keep existing programs and services in place. In doing so, while also accounting for substantial increases in employee related costs and other inflationary factors, our projected "Fund Balance" has now been reduced to the Board policy prescribed level of 6%. The fund balance serves as a contingency fund for any number of unanticipated expenditures. We remain committed to holding the "Fund Balance" near the 6% target during this challenging fiscal period. |
Levy Revenue: The Blaine School District is fortunate to have in place a voter approved, four-year Maintenance and Operations Levy that will run through the 2012 calendar year. The voters in the Blaine School District have approved the maximum levy amount allowable under state law. The Maintenance and Operations Levy collection will increase by $200,000-250,000 yearly during this four year period. This increase helps to offset the approximately 7% annual inflation (average) that we project for all non-employee related costs. |
 |
Blaine School District Budget
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) provides easy access to numerous budget and revenue documents for all school districts in the State of Washington. To learn more about the details of the Blaine School District fiscal history, please click here and then move to “Blaine” in the drop down menu.
The Blaine School District 2008-09 Budget Report is also available as a download - Here
Budget questions or comments can be emailed to Donna D’Angelo, Business Manager, at budgetquestions@blainesd.org