SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Public Schools is facing a serious budget shortfall that has led to hundreds of layoff notices.
The new budget won't be solidified until August. In the meantime, the district has been doing research and holding meetings to try to find the best way to handle the situation.
Last week, the district held three meetings with the public to get input and offer education on the budget issues. At Wednesday's board meeting, the superintendent reported back what they learned from those discussions.
The meetings were divided into small-group discussions at various tables, each with dedicated experts for specific budget-related topics. The most popular tables, bar none, were those for the local school levy and the library model.
Therefore, those topics were focal points at the board meeting on Wednesday, which also featured a call from a librarian to preserve the current model.
"Neither a classroom teacher nor a library clerk, no matter how well-intentioned, can fill the role of a librarian," she said.
Redinger reported on a variety of ideas frequently proposed by members of the public.
Regarding libraries, many people wanted to know whether more volunteers could play a role.
On the levy, meeting participants suggested gradually increasing the rate rather than immediately requesting the maximum allowable $2.50 per $1,000 of property value.
Some wanted the district to consider selling their downtown headquarters building and relocating.
Others suggested offering bigger retirement incentives to encourage more staffers to leave on their own, thereby reducing the number of necessary layoffs.
Redinger was careful to point out that these ideas were essentially just a compilation of the raw data of the conversations, and that no one had yet vetted any of the ideas' validity.
The next step: the board will have a budget work session on May 29.
Then, on June 12, the board will host a public forum on the budget to get even more feedback.
And finally, the actual budget will be decided no later than Aug. 31.