A Message from Superintendent Greg Baker

Dear staff, families and community members,

I hope 2024 is off to a good start, and that you are staying warm. A quick reminder about weather: Please watch for updates on our website, through ParentSquare, and in local media later this week in case the weather affects road conditions and/or our schedule.

Upcoming levies

Along with the other school districts in Whatcom County and many across the state, Bellingham Public Schools has two replacement levy measures on the ballot for the special election February 13. These are not new taxes; our operations and technology levies will replace existing levies.

The measures on the February 2024 ballot would replace expiring four-year levies approved by voters in February 2020. These levies help us maintain the programming we have in place, including funding for important programming, such as Special Education, art, Career and Technical Education (CTE) and music.

The video above highlights music and performing arts. Click the following links for videos about the arts, athletics, assistive technology, technology, career and technical education (CTE) and safety in Bellingham Public Schools.

These replacement levies pay for nearly 25% of the cost of educational services that the state does not adequately fund. We will send information between now and election day that shares facts about the levies, including an FAQ and videos. Voters can expect to see their ballots at the end of this month. As always, if you have questions, please let us know.

Budget planning for 2024-25

January kicks off budget planning for next school year to align with the start of the state legislative session. We are not expecting any big changes in funding from the state, and at this juncture, we believe the 2024-25 school year will likely be more of a “hold steady” year.

As you may remember, a year ago we were in the midst of planning budget cuts/reprioritization of resources for this school year. That was incredibly challenging, especially for those directly affected. At this point, we are not expecting any significant additional cuts as we look ahead to next school year, and we aren’t anticipating major new funding either, besides some adjustments for cost-of-living increases.

Please feel free to share your feedback on our budget and budget planning for the future by responding to this online form. Your input helps influence our decisions.

Greg Baker

Send feedback to greg.baker@bellinghamschools.org