Riverview schools face deep cuts thanks to state woes, low numbers

State budget woes combined with too-optimistic enrollment projections have led to about $145,000 in funding cuts to the Riverview School District this year. The reduction could go as high as $366,000, and would eliminate all state funding for K-4 Enhancement and Highly-Capable programming for the current and next school years.

Additionally, enrollment figures are about 40 full-time students less than expected for 2010-11, which could mean a further loss of about $200,000 for the year.

“It’s not that we’re losing students. We budgeted for a slight increase in enrollment that did not come to fruition,” said District Finance Director Bill Adamo.

Another reduction that the state made to Riverview District funding cancelled out a $626,000 federal Edujobs grant. This cut, although larger, isn’t as significant to the district.

“We had no plans for the money, because it was never presented as money we would receive, anyway,” Adamo said.

To address the current-year cuts, Adamo anticipates the school board will use part of the district’s general fund balance. At the start of the year, the fund balance was at $2.186 million, or 6.9 percent of the overall school budget. He’s disappointed to reduce the fund balance, which he’s worked for years to get to its level, but said, “we’re in a better position than most districts.”

The minimum fund balance required by the school board is 5 percent of the year’s budget.

Contact Snoqualmie Valley Record Staff Reporter Carol Ladwig at cladwig@valleyrecord.com.

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