The Tumwater School District (TSD) Board met last Thursday, October 26, to discuss enrollment, Budget, and Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) Levy status updates.
TSD’s Executive Director of Financial Services, Melissa Richter, reported the updates to the board.
Richter reported 6,088 budgeted Full Time Equivalent (FTE) for 2023-2024 and 6,367 actual FTEs.
“The good news is we projected the coming school year at 6,088. And we actually have 6,367. The bad news is we're about 100 under the actual from last school year, but we're still over what we projected to and staffed to,” Superintendent Kevin Bogatin explained.
An FTE is not based on headcount, and it is not the exact number of students. For example, half a student is counted if a student attends school for a half day.
The increase in enrollment also meant an apportionment of $2.2 million (state funding). $800,000 is intended for basic education, $600,000 for New Market Skills Center (NMSC), and $800,000 for middle and high school Сareer and Тechnical Еducation (CTE).
Like other school districts, TSD’s EP&O levies run every four years, expiring next year, 2024. This funds about 12% of the district’s yearly budget.
“The levy helps fund extracurriculars, special education, paraeducators, school counselors, nurses, custodians, safety personnel, CTE programs, STEM programs, and advanced placement programs,” Richter shared.
No state or general funds are available for these extracurriculars, so the local levy dollars pay for these.
Part of the process for the levy is a for/against committee, and an announcement will be posted online a week before the November board meeting, requesting interested citizens to be committee members.
TSD worked with DA Davidson consultants and formulated two proposals on the 2024 tax rate based on current property values.
TSD’s current rate is estimated at $2.04, and the rates are capped because of the district’s property values.
“This first proposal leaves our tax rate at $2.20 with a gradual increase. But there is very little room for added enrollment with the rollback figures,” Richter reported.
The second option will take the maximum $2.50 rate, which the Olympia School District and North Thurston Public Schools also plan to implement.
The first option allows the district to collect more fees if the district has more enrolment than projected. On the second option, with less flexibility, the rate stays the same if the enrollment exceeds what the district has projected.
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