The challenge for district administrators preparing the 2011-12 budget was that the top two priorities of parents and community members, as expressed in a 2009 survey, were:

• to maintain efforts to attract and retain high quality staff and
• to protect smaller class sizes.

Since 2009, state cuts to funding used for K-4 class size reduction amount to over $13 million, including $2.6 million for the 2011-12 budget. The district has used levy dollars and budget cuts in other areas to maintain class sizes since these reductions began, while many other school districts have already increased class size and have laid off teachers as a result.

For 2011-12, the district will implement the last $1.5 million of cuts through a modest increase in class size. It will amount to just over one student per class for grades K-4. The district will still cover the previous cuts over time and over $1 million in the latest cuts of funds to support lower class sizes. The increase in class size will result in the elimination of about 17 to 18 teacher positions through attrition as more than that number of teachers retired or resigned at the end of this school year.

This year, the legislature reduced funding for base salaries for an impact on district staff of $2 million total. The district has made proposals to unions whose contracts are open or have a reopen clause and to other staff groups to maintain compensation levels through some additional work days.

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At the June 6 meeting, the Lake Washington PTSA Council presented scholarships to 13 students and two staff members. The board considered hearing officer reports concerning the new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math secondary (STEM) school proposed to be built next to Alcott Elementary School. After discussions of traffic impacts and parking, the board approved a resolution to adopt the findings in the hearing officer's report concerning a conditional use permit and the Determination of Nonsignificance under the State Environmental Protection Act for the STEM school. This approval allows the district to move forward in the permitting process for the school.

Foreign language requirement added

At the June 20^th meeting, the board approved new graduation requirements, to start with the class of 2016, who will enter ninth grade the fall of 2012. This class will be expected to take four electives and two years of foreign languages instead of the current six electives among their 22 credits needed to graduate. This requirement aligns with the district's vision of college readiness for all students. Two years of foreign language study is required for admission into public four-year colleges in Washington.

Dr. Traci Pierce, deputy superintendent, noted that about 70% of district students already fulfill this requirement, taking two years of foreign language before they graduate. She also stressed that the district will have in place a system for students who have a clear high school and beyond plan and parental permission to request approval to substitute other courses related to that plan in place of the two foreign language credits.