Kelso School District has a strong tradition of providing excellent education and many opportunities for students to learn and grow. We are dedicated to helping every student succeed and feel supported.
We also believe in being open about the district's financial situation. Right now, we are facing challenges that are affecting our budget:
Rising costs due to inflation are higher than the funding we receive from the state
Programs created during COVID-19 need ongoing funding to continue
Staffing and benefits take up 82% of our budget because wages and costs of living are going up
Local levies now pay for essential operations and enrichment programs
Fewer births mean fewer students enrolling, which lowers state funding
Local Effort Assistance (LEA) funding has dropped by $1-$2 million over five years, putting more strain on our budget
Because of these challenges, we need to lower our spending for the 2025-26 school year. We want your help deciding what is most important as we create budget proposals for the school board.
When completing the survey, please keep in mind these four main goals from our Strategic Plan and Road to Student Success:
Attain strong student achievement and growth
Enhance our culture of belonging and engagement
Elevate student voice
Maintain effective resource allocation
Our mission is to prepare every student to live, learn, and succeed in a changing world.
As we move toward budget reductions, we want to know what priorities you feel are most important.
Please share your thoughts in this brief survey. The survey closes at midnight on February 28.
For more details on our goals and guiding principles, visit the Kelso School District Strategic Plan webpage. You can also explore the 2024-25 Report to Our Kelso Community.