The school district has shaved off a handful of expenses to make up an unexpected shortfall.

“We built a tight budget, we overestimated enrollment and we underestimated expenses,” said Superintendent Barbara Kline at a budget meeting this week.

The school board has been grappling with a $120,000 shortfall, and asked district staff to prepare a list of possible cuts. School administration looked at every angle possible, including making changes to the bus routes. Ideas included canceling one day of service or afternoon service and changing the routes to take less time.

The board strongly disliked making major changes to transportation.

“The impact to the kids is not worth the $8,000 in savings,” said board member Chris Sutton. “For some people, it will be a big hardship. Some kids might not make it to school if we cancel one day. I think this is too disruptive to the kids.”

The board agreed to the following cost-saving measures, which are effective Feb. 27: reduction of .57 FTE para-educator, reduction of library hours, cutting Waldron aide position in half, reducing classified non-rep positions by 668 hours, slimming down prof/tech positions by one hour a day, reducing custodial positions by two hours a day and maintenance positions by one hour a day, and applying for a waiver of two snow days because it was a “public emergency.”

Audience member and parent Tess White voiced concern about cutting hours for para-educators, who work under teachers and provide direct serves to kids and their families.

“You might save now, but you will eat it later,” she said. “The special ed teachers are already pushed to their limits … para-educators can’t give enough support as it is now.”

Board members whittled the transportation cut to $6500, but the Orcas Island Education Foundation plans to help fundraise for the amount, ensuring kids will not feel an impact to their bus route.

“Kari Schuh, a teacher, has also come up with the ‘OIEF $100 Campaign,'” said Janet Brownell, OIEF president and school board member. “The idea is to find 1000 family, friends, friends of friends — all to donate $100 to back fill the $100,000 budget hole.”

Spring athletics program

Because of state funding cuts, the district was unable to include winter and spring sports into its original budget. Softball, baseball and golf, which start in a few weeks, are not funded.

This past fall, the Orcas Booster Club raised $11,000 from the community to pay for winter athletics. Private donors stepped up to answer a $5,000 matching grant challenge offered by the Orcas Island Education Foundation.

The Booster Club is hopeful the Orcas Parks and Recreation District will join in creating a long-term solution, similar to what the rec district on San Juan Island does. Of Island Rec’s 17-cent levy, seven cents goes to maintaining Friday Harbor school sports. But that is far into the future.

For now, the club is seeking community partners to help solve funding challenges faced by the school district. While the Boosters are now focused on raising $25,000 for spring sports programs, volunteer Kevin O’Brien says they are “respectful” of the other fundraising that Orcas School plans to do.

“We don’t want to get in the way of the fundraising for core school offerings,” he said. “We plan to host a forum to brainstorm ideas and see how important sports are to the community.”

To donate to the Orcas Island Booster Club for the sports program, mail a check to the Orcas Island Community Foundation (“Booster Fund”) at P.O. Box 1496, Eastsound, WA 98245 or online at www.oicf.us.

To donate to the Orcas School District, go to www.oief.org.