Cost Saving Measures for 2025-26

The budget deficit for school year 2025-26 was estimated at $15M, including conservative estimates for state funding.  The state budget was approved on April 27, 2025 and included additional funding for special education; materials, supplies and operating costs (referred to as MSOCS); and an increase in the levy cap, allowing us to levy for the full voter approved amount in 2026.  We also plan to raise new revenue through increases in facility rental fees and meal costs, fees for traffic safety and high school athletics, and partnerships with sponsors and the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation.  This new revenue, including the increases from the state, generates $3.6M (slated for Special Education and MSOCS) or 25% of our original deficit.

This leaves a budget gap of $11.4M which we plan to close through four areas of reductions in administrative/District Office staffing, staff compensation, slight increases in class sizes in grades 4-12 and other reductions e.g. department/school supplies and professional development budgets.

The following are cost-saving measures Bellingham Public Schools will take ahead of and during 2025-26. This list represents major reductions and is not necessarily exhaustive.

Administration/ District Office

• Freeze pay at 2024-25 rate for superintendent, plus three furlough (unpaid nonwork) days this year (2024-25) and five days next year.
• Freeze pay at 2024-25 rate for executive team administrators, plus four furlough days
• Freeze pay at 2024-25 rate for all administrators, including principals, assistant principals and directors
• Reduce contracts by one day for District Office administrative assistants, payroll/accounting technicians and non-represented staff (furlough day)
• Reduce districtwide administrators and support staff, including those at the District Office, through attrition or department restructuring in educational technology, operations and teaching and learning. These reductions include:
  • • Director of Facilities and Sustainability
    • Director of Health Services
    • Manager of Computer Services
    • Executive Chef of Food Services
    • Manager of Capital Projects
    • Teachers on Special Assignment (reduction in hours)
    • Food Services Accounting Technician
    • Assistant Director of Teaching & Learning (reduction in hours)
    • Manager of Human Resources (reduction in hours)
    • Finance administrative assistant (reduction in hours)
    • Health Services administrative assistant (reduction in hours)
    • Teaching and Learning administrative assistant(reduction in hours)

Staff compensation

• Reduce the number of paid professional development days for certificated staff
• Reduce the number of school days from 180 to 179, resulting in one unpaid day for school staff
• Defer 1% of teacher contracted pay increase
• Reduce contracts by one day for paraeducators, school administrative assistants and educational support staff

Class size adjustments

• Increase class size slightly in grades 4-12

Other

• Ask families to contribute $100 fees for driver’s education and high school sports
• Leverage support from Bellingham Public Schools Foundation.

• Increase facility rental fees to align with other local community facilities.
• Limit travel and professional development, extra hours (overtime) and supply budgets for all departments and building budgets.
• Increase lunch meal prices for families in paid status by $0.25
• Leverage cost-savings in fuel with new propane buses due to be in operation in 2025-26.
• Consider capital maintenance levy to cover costs to maintain schools and facilities and help protect general fund dollars for the classroom
• Reduce district support for elementary PTA/PTO enrichment support.  Maintained at higher poverty Title schools
• Request ASBs to fund uniform purchases and athletics invite event costs through fundraising or club funds.
• Generate revenue through new opportunities for advertising through high school sports apps and scoreboards.

Please see our budget page with frequently asked questions about budget planning.