Trimming the Bellevue School District budget should come first through reduced classroom temperatures, increased fees for high school athletics, cuts to central administration, and bussing changes.
Those were the top choices in a survey last month that asked parents, teachers, students and staff to identify their preferred budget-reduction measures.
The school district anticipates a budget shortfall of between $4 million and $6 million for the next school year.
The least support went toward proposals aimed at eliminating athletic programs including swimming, golf, wrestling and gymnastics – each of which has low enrollment or requires non-district facilities, according to the district.
Only 21 percent of respondents selected those cuts.
Falling roughly in the middle were two proposals to reduce the number of class periods for a savings of up to $1.9 million. Around 56 percent of the survey takers supported those options.
Controversial proposals to cut elementary librarians and elementary music programs came in with around 45 percent and 40 percent support respectively.
Over 90 percent of the respondents supported reducing classroom temperatures by up to 2 degrees to save the district an estimated $75,000 to $150,000 per year.
Just over 85 percent supported increasing the annual student-parking fee to bring in $85,000 in additional revenue, as well as raising meal prices by 25 cents for all but low-income students to net an extra $180,000 per year.
Far fewer respondents – around 49 percent – identified teacher cuts for K-5 and middle school as preferred options, even though those measures would save an estimated $720,000 to $1.7 million apiece.
Roughly 58 percent of the survey takers supported eliminating 17 high school teachers for an estimated savings of $1.4 million.
Parents and teachers diverged on the proposed K-5 cuts, with only 33 percent of teachers supporting them as opposed to 50 percent of parents.
Sixty-eight percent of the survey takers were parents.
Ninety-five percent of teachers supported cuts to central administration – more than any other item.
The district’s fiscal-advisory committee is reviewing the results of the survey, and is expected to make a recommendation to the superintendent April 12.
The superintendent will then make a recommendation to the school board April 27.
