Puyallup School District to cut budget due to $14 million deficit. Here’s what to expect
The Puyallup School District must decide what to carve out of its budget for the coming school year.
The Puyallup School Board unanimously approved during the Feb. 20 meeting for the superintendent to develop a plan that would address a $14 million budget deficit for the 2024-25 school year.
There is a budget deficit because enrollment numbers are down and the school district spent all of its federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, district officials said.
School district spokesperson Sarah Gillispie wrote in an email that the school board is aiming to approve next school year’s budget by August 2024. A public hearing will happen beforehand to allow community input.
The amount of funding the state gives a school district depends on how many students are attending it. Gillispie told The News Tribune that enrollment in fall 2023 was down by about 450 students.
A few years ago the federal government gave the school district $34 million in ESSER funds to address COVID-19 impacts. Funding went to mental health and behavioral health services, student technology and Wi-Fi hot spots, among other things.
All ESSER funds must be spent by the end of the 2023-24 school year.
In February voters approved the school district’s $175 million capital levy. The levy addresses roofing, flooring, internet access and other infrastructure needs across the school district.
The school district cannot pull money from the capital levy for the general budget because the levy can only be used for capital projects, Gillispie said.
This is not the first time the school district has experienced an eight-figure budget deficit. In the 2019-20 school year, the district faced a shortfall of $13 million. Gillispie said the school board at the time directed the superintendent to make “reductions” at the central office.
When asked if any cuts have been made since the Feb. 20 meeting, Gillispie said the school district is still in the process of figuring out a plan.
“With regards to our current situation, the leadership team is evaluating potential areas to reduce expenditures that have the least impact on classrooms and align with our strategic plan priorities,” Gillispie wrote in an email.
The News Tribune reported in February that Tacoma Public Schools is also facing a budget shortfall of about $15 million.
