District adopts budget
West Valley School District became the third Spokane Valley school district to adopt a budget for the upcoming school year free of financial calamity.
The West Valley School Board unanimously approved a budget of $36.5 million Wednesday, with reserve funds of $1.9 million. The budget also includes the collection of $5.8 million in bond levy funds in 2005, as approved by voters in May.
“It’s nice to see that kind of money in the bank and not have to cut back at the beginning of the year,” said Dave Smith, district superintendent. “I’m proud of what we’ve done here.”
West Valley taxpayers approved a 20-year, $35 million bond levy to completely renovate its high school and add classrooms and a new gymnasium to the district’s four elementary schools, as well as undertake maintenance projects at its two middle schools.
About $3.2 million of the budget is earmarked for capital projects this year. Renovations to City School got under way this summer, as did the architectural planning phase of the high school. The board also approved a budget extension of just over $1 million Wednesday to compensate for costs associated with those capital project items.
The debt service fund was budgeted at $2.9 million and the associated student body fund at $433,000.
The district has also planned the delivery of 12 new buses this year, sometime in January or February, to replace 10 regular school buses, one large bus for athletic and extracurricular activities and a special-education bus. The transportation fund was budgeted at $1.2 million.
The general fund budget was set at nearly $29 million.
In other business, the district approved teacher and classified employee contracts for the year.
A 1 percent state salary increase was given to teachers with zero to six years of experience. The district agreed to a 1 percent increase for teachers with seven or more years of experience. Teachers will also go back to a 7.5-hour day.
Classified employees were also given a 1 percent state increase, with an additional .5 percent for two para-educators. Employees with 25 years of experience or more were given an extra salary step of $1 an hour. Bus aides and grounds maintenance workers were also given an additional 1 percent increase.