Committee examining expenses, possible cuts for Brewster School District

A committee of district patrons, local business leaders, teachers, administrators and school personnel are working on recommendations for the Brewster School District budget for 2009-10, in light of anticipated cuts in state funding.

District superintendent Aaron Chavez said that between cuts in state school funding and expiring grants and other expenses, the district could lose as much as $800,000 in revenue. Nobody at the state level has a lot of details yet, Chavez said, and won't have details for about another six weeks. But individual school districts must go ahead and start planning, he said, and he's asking the finance committee and district administrators to prepare for a worst-case scenario. District officials already have imposed a spending freeze, he said.

Currently the finance committee is examining district expenses, looking for places to spend money more efficiently or restructure or cut; they will make recommendations later this month, Chavez said. District officials will sponsor a series of community meetings to get the public's reaction, and their suggestions for addressing the shortfall. Those will start in late March or early April.

Chavez said the first step is to look at reducing expenses before cutting programs or staffing.

In business at the regular meeting of the Brewster School Board Monday, Feb. 23, Chavez announced that the district recently went through its biannual audit from the Washington State Auditor's Office, and district officials were warned that the existing reserves (savings) were lower than the auditors recommended.

The reserves - what's left when business is done for the year - were about $250,000, or about 2 percent of the district's overall budget; the auditors recommended about 5 percent, which is also the target the school board set about two years ago.

Board members appointed senior Daniela Najera as the student representative to the board; sophomore Kayla Sisk will be the alternate.