Riverview School District Budget
Budget Overview
A school district budget serves as the primary financial plan for achieving the educational goals and objectives of the district. More than just numbers, it is the community’s educational vision expressed in dollars, outlining how resources will be allocated to support student learning and district priorities.
The budget is formally adopted by the Board of Directors and submitted to the state, ensuring transparency and accountability. It establishes maximum expenditure levels for each fund, provides a framework for measuring performance, and serves as a guiding tool for decision-making throughout the year.
The district budget is organized into five separate funds, each serving a unique purpose in supporting instructional, operational, and long-term needs. Revenues and expenditures are tracked not only by category, but also by function and program, offering multiple perspectives on how resources are being invested in students.
The budget is developed with a student-centered lens and guided by the district’s strategic plan. This ensures that financial choices remain aligned with instructional priorities, district policy, and long-term fiscal stability, even within a challenging and evolving educational funding landscape.
Washington State School Funding
School districts are facing big budget challenges.
That’s because over the past few years, Washington has seen some big changes in the way the state funds its public schools. While the Legislature has invested more money into K-12 education, they have also limited a community’s ability to support programs and services that students and families rely on. This has left schools in a sticky situation, with a funding solution that is a few apples short of a barrel.
To get to the core of this funding challenge, it’s important to understand the primary ways schools get the money they need to operate. There are three main sources of funding for schools: the federal government, the state government, and local funding measures, in the form of bonds (funds for building) and levies (funds for learning).
The changes, coupled with declines in student enrollment (also a driver of state funding) have caused many districts to face significant challenges balancing their budgets. There’s just not enough money for all of the important needs associated with providing kids with a quality education.
How are districts managing the situation?
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They are advocating for changes because the state still does not fund the true cost of education (special education, staff salaries, facilities maintenance and updates, technology, extracurriculars like athletics and performing arts, etc.)
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They are spending down reserves, which is not a sustainable solution
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They are gearing up for or already making significant budget cuts and staffing reductions (because funding model changes have reduced the flexibility in how districts can raise and spend money)
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They are managing their budgets wisely and adapting to the new normal working to provide sustainable budgets, even in the midst of this changing financial landscape
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They are sharing with their communities that the ability to collect local funding for schools is greatly diminished, yet levies remain a critical resource – in some cases representing 20-30 percent of a school district’s overall budget
Source: https://www.esd112.org/schoolfunding/