2024 – 2025 School Year Budget Parameters

Each year brings a different context to budgeting. The following are parameters supported by the School Board to guide the district in developing the 2024 – 2025 school year’s budget, including how to approach budget reductions.

Prioritize Each & Every Student

Prioritize students and their educational experience; start with cuts furthest from the classroom
Protect the district’s strategic priorities, moving funds from other areas as needed
Maintain equitable support, services, and opportunities to continue to close opportunity gaps and deliver on our Equity and Accountability commitments.

Reduce Expenditures

Find ways to reduce the budget by $10 million through efficiencies and trimming, versus elimination of programs or services
Maintain consistent and predictable operations and services, while improving efficiency

Increase Revenue

Advocate for regionalization of the local levy during this year’s short legislative session
Build on the educational excellence of BSD to retain and attract students
Partner with community partners, including the Bellevue Schools Foundation and the City of Bellevue, to increase revenue through community donations
Pursue additional funding opportunities locally as well as creative opportunities for cost-sharing, cost-cutting, increased efficiencies, and revenue generation.

Plan for the Long-Term

Stabilize our long-term financial picture
End the 2024 – 2025 school year with at least $21.5 million in general fund reserves
Allocate resources to successfully launch the new strategic plan, including investing in new and innovative opportunities, using an intentional, multi-year, budget-responsible approach to program investments
Develop a plan to address district structural issues that result in budget deficits