SEATTLE -- Education will cost more for some Seattle parents next year, and some kids will get to sleep in a little longer.
Those are just a few of the changes coming as part of the Seattle school district's new budget proposal, which will be presented Wednesday night at district headquarters.
Even with more kids enrolling each year and costs going up, district officials say they've hammered out a balanced budget proposal for next year.
"We were able to do that without any cuts to the classroom," said Duggan Harman, assistant superintendent for business and finance.
The classrooms won't see cuts, but some parents will be paying more. The price for full-day kindergarten will go up $35 a month to $272.
"That allowed us to close about $700,000 of our budget shortfall," Harman said.
The district is also eliminating driver's education, which means parents will also need to pay to get their kids behind the wheel. Officials say they can save another $300,000 just by having students at six elementary schools start up to 30 minutes later.
The district will also save $6 million by continuing its hiring freeze. Retaining furlough days will save $3 million, and layoffs at the central office will save more than $1 million.
"I'm sorry that a lot of people lost their jobs, but ultimately the classroom is where the highest priority needs to be," said board president Michael DeBell.
About 15 guidance counselors were laid off, along with two dozen teachers. DeBell said many of those teachers will be rehired, though it's up to individual school to decide if they can afford to call counselors back. The district distributed more than $1 million to certain schools for just those types of hires.
Harman said the district is looking at all angles to save money.
"So we know that we're using about $3.5 million in fund balance, so we're drawing down our savings," he said.
To make some money, the board is considering re-installing advertising at outdoor sports stadiums and possibly on the district calendar.
The board did away with the advertising program in 2004. If the program is reinstated, ads would only be sold for outdoor fields and stadiums.
Those are just a few of the changes coming as part of the Seattle school district's new budget proposal, which will be presented Wednesday night at district headquarters.
Even with more kids enrolling each year and costs going up, district officials say they've hammered out a balanced budget proposal for next year.
"We were able to do that without any cuts to the classroom," said Duggan Harman, assistant superintendent for business and finance.
The classrooms won't see cuts, but some parents will be paying more. The price for full-day kindergarten will go up $35 a month to $272.
"That allowed us to close about $700,000 of our budget shortfall," Harman said.
The district is also eliminating driver's education, which means parents will also need to pay to get their kids behind the wheel. Officials say they can save another $300,000 just by having students at six elementary schools start up to 30 minutes later.
The district will also save $6 million by continuing its hiring freeze. Retaining furlough days will save $3 million, and layoffs at the central office will save more than $1 million.
"I'm sorry that a lot of people lost their jobs, but ultimately the classroom is where the highest priority needs to be," said board president Michael DeBell.
About 15 guidance counselors were laid off, along with two dozen teachers. DeBell said many of those teachers will be rehired, though it's up to individual school to decide if they can afford to call counselors back. The district distributed more than $1 million to certain schools for just those types of hires.
Harman said the district is looking at all angles to save money.
"So we know that we're using about $3.5 million in fund balance, so we're drawing down our savings," he said.
To make some money, the board is considering re-installing advertising at outdoor sports stadiums and possibly on the district calendar.
The board did away with the advertising program in 2004. If the program is reinstated, ads would only be sold for outdoor fields and stadiums.