Blaine school board adopts pared down budget

In the last school board meeting before the new school year begins, the Blaine school board unanimously approved the adoption of the 2024-25 budget during the August 26 meeting. The first day of school was Wednesday, August 28.

The 5-0 vote authorized a general fund balance of $41.2 million, $5.86 million for capital projects, $4.7 million for debt servicing, $645,000 for transportation vehicles, and $299,539 for the Associated Student Body fund.

State law requires the school district’s budget to be adopted no later than August 31.

The board also ratified transferring $1 million from the capital projects fund into the debt service fund, but deferred to the district director of finance to determine the exact timing of the transfer.

There were also some last-minute administration changes, with Blaine high school assistant principal Jordan Radke stepping down from his position to “pursue other opportunities,” according to superintendent Christopher Granger.

That move caused a reshuffling of administrators, with Blaine elementary assistant principal Kristen Morris taking Radke’s place at the high school, and Point Roberts elementary teacher/principal Jessie Hettinga taking Morris’ place (the schoolhouse of roughly a dozen students operates with two staff members that split teaching and administrative duties).

“We extend our best wishes to Mr. Radke in his future endeavors and deeply appreciate the adaptability of our administrators and staff as we navigate this transition,” Granger wrote in an August 27 newsletter.

State law also requires school districts to create a four-year budget forecast, estimating enrollment, tax collection and a general budget through the 2027-28 school year.

The 2024-25 budget puts the K-12 enrollment at 1,944.9 full-time-equivalent students, a slight decrease from last year’s count of 1,988.5 students, illustrating a downward enrollment trend that has persisted roughly since the 2020 pandemic.

The district is implementing new strategies to bolster enrollment, such as starting an online-only high school curriculum with former high school principal Scott Ellis running the new program.

The board also unanimously approved multiple items for onboarding new district director of finance Keith Yaich, who was hired over the summer to replace former finance director Amber Porter. Yaich previously worked as chief financial officer for the Bennett school district in Colorado.