Schools plan for future growth
CHENEY – Cheney Public Schools has announced its proposed budget for the 2024-25 academic year, emphasizing transparency, strategic planning, and community engagement in financial decisions.
During the June 12 School Board meeting, Finance Director Jamie Reed presented a detailed budget outlining how funds will be allocated to achieve educational goals and serve as a financial blueprint for the district.
Reed reported that the expected enrollment for the upcoming year is 5,209 students, with an additional 182 participating Running Start and 10 in dropout reengagement programs.
The draft budget outlines five primary funds:
• Associated Student Body Fund: Supports non-credit extracurricular activities using student fees, with budgets approved by students themselves.
• Transportation Vehicle Fund: Funds school bus purchase and maintenance mainly through state depreciation payments.
• Capital Projects Fund: Finances major facility upgrades and new constructions via bond sales, state aid, and various fees.
• Debt Service Fund : Manages long-term debt repayment for capital projects, aiming to stabilize tax rates amid community growth.
• General Fund: Covers daily operational costs including staff salaries, supplies, and essential educational programs.
The budget also includes staffing meetings, school improvement plans, strategic plan feedback, enrollment projections, and legislative impacts.
Restricted funds in the original budget document “are dollars designated with specific external constraints, such as grants or legal mandates,” Reed said in an email. “An example would be grant dollars that are carried over from one year to the next.”
“In putting together the 24-25 budget, the extensive work with our community around priorities from our strategic plan was used in shaping the budget,” said Reed about transparency in financial reporting, the district’s strategic goals, and how the district incorporates feedback from stakeholders. “We hold a work session that is open to the public every year and we hold a specific public comment time specifically for the budget each year.”
“The state requires that a four-year budget: F195F is completed each year,” said Reed about the proposed budget for upcoming years. Since the state doesn’t provide this, the school bases their projections on enrollment trends and assume revenues and expenditures will increase proportionally, which provides a rough estimate for the future.
Clare is an Eastern Washington University graduate and a reporter at Free Press Publishing.
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