During a meeting on Wednesday, the South Whidbey School District Board of Directors voted to petition the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to allow the district to increase the expenditures for the 2023-24 school year by $550,000.
The need came from the addition of an inclusive transitional kindergarten program, set to kick off in September, and the addition of paraeducators over the course of the year, according to Director of Finance Paul Field.
The additional expenses, according to the budget extension resolution, will be covered by the general fund cash/fund balance and anticipated revenues.
Budget extensions are nothing new for South Whidbey and many other school districts around the country. They become necessary when a district exceeds the expenditures in a budget that has already been adopted. Districts extend their budgets for a variety of reasons, such as a rise in enrollment, materials becoming more expensive, unanticipated grants and other factors.
“I just see this as the district adapting through the school year to changing conditions,” Board Member Joe Greenheron said.
The paraeducators and the transitional kindergarten were added because the school received additional state and federal funds based on enrollment numbers, for a total of $521,757, according to information presented at the meeting. The district was unsure if transitional kindergarten was going to happen until after the 2023-24 budget was approved, Field said, while the apportionment for special education was higher than what had been budgeted.
The Inclusive Transitional Kindergarten is a program free to families that runs five days a week, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., or until 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. It’s open to children who turn 4 by Aug. 31, and is taught by a certificated South Whidbey School District teacher. The program prioritizes children who have had limited preschool experience, qualify for free or reduced lunch, are dual language learners and may receive services on an IEP, according to a district newsletter.
