[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6166820,"mediaKeyId","5414338-63239710c49abcb89057a36d5c7398cf","parentId",5414338,"title","Snoqualmie Valley previews mostly balanced 2025–26 budget; preschool expansion, transportation and staff changes highlighted","audioSeconds",134,"startMs",624000,"endMs",758000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5414338-63239710c49abcb89057a36d5c7398cf&start=624&end=758","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5414338-63239710c49abcb89057a36d5c7398cf/thumbnail_624000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6166820/Washington/Snoqualmie-Valley-previews-mostly-balanced-202526-budget-preschool-expansion-transportation-and-staff-changes-highlighted","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6166820-15ae3de1f075f102647d8fa09ae77532/orig.mp4?Expires=1771042459&Signature=DQkKhyBB8eWvahwLHx33e1dZW1yMQt8~5~LHUV8q1QMRKRV7QvyVOfyGm3SiNMEqq3N4t5YMQGXTX46plgvD2JZ7O4q1YPsFJ36eXPd1TzeTeOxKPwiMp~7DC0fZPsPDP674vxvS-3m7BR5N4-2qjszlZZfAIM1M8oHNT2gUaOSph7El4FSGtpXMBFYVaioVHP0DUA--lq-8MpdwkpKcqi3nyO5MiT7Sq0muXzRwDgWxS73ASHlS8Y08qVTHNVXgozlFvW4NxVG1DkE96V-RIe5R2iEMat964qsLfRoNaS1QSSzKaQBeqqbp5aZpxtRWDR-8Uc0I0vEPNC~FEwS-TQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Snoqualmie Valley School District","date","2025-07-11T00:00:00Z","article","Snoqualmie Valley School District finance staff told the Board of Directors on July 10 that the draft 2025–26 budget is largely balanced and includes planned preschool expansion, additional transportation staffing and modest certificated and classified staffing increases.

The district presenter said the budget presented to the board is “probably 90% there” and that staff will continue refining numbers before the board’s formal budget adoption on Aug. 14. Key items highlighted included a planned expansion of preschool (additional classrooms and related paraeducators), the hiring of more bus drivers, a budget capacity line of $4,200,000 and an operating fund balance that the presenter said keeps the district within its target range.

On enrollment and staffing, the presenter said kindergarten enrollment came in a bit lower than anticipated and the budget assumes a conservative kindergarten estimate of about 430 students unless summer moves alter that count. The presenter said elementary enrollment is declining overall while middle‑school enrollment shows a temporary increase, and that the district is shifting some staffing toward preschool and middle/high school growth. The budget includes additional deans of students in some elementary buildings and an associate director for safety; the presenter said that change is largely cost‑neutral because a previous specialist position was not refilled.

The presentation laid out several revenue and expenditure drivers: a roughly 3.6% increase in combined state general and special education funding as reported by staff, a 2.5% inflation/employee cost index for salary assumptions, and increases in local non‑tax revenue tied to preschool tuition and stronger interest and rental income. Federal grant revenue is expected to decline slightly under new rules, the presenter said.

On benefits and pension costs the presenter said district employer pension contribution rates reported by the state have fallen significantly for next year — the presenter cited a roughly 21% drop in teacher pension contributions and a roughly 36% drop for classified staff — while medical and paid‑family‑leave costs (SEBB) are increasing by double digits. The presenter cautioned that the pension reductions may not be permanent.

Transportation and capital items were also discussed. The presenter said the district has hired more bus drivers and expects to add several more buses; when asked about average cost, a staff member replied “250, I think,” and the presenter noted depreciation schedules vary by bus type (about 10–14 years depending on vehicle). The transportation vehicle fund and capital projects budgets include capacity for vehicle replacements and tech levy equipment, but the presenter said large capital expenditures would normally be brought back to the board for approval.

On debt and capital finance, the presenter reminded the board that a recent refunding will save the district about $1 million in interest over the next nine years. The presenter said debt service and capital projects figures include budget capacity for remaining work from prior bond projects and potential early design work if future bond measures move forward.

The presenter said the district’s general fund balance is healthy — the presentation cited a fund balance target of roughly 12% and noted a current fund balance around $16 million — and that the budget the board will vote on in August will show the legally required appropriation lines. Staff also said they will produce a four‑year projection for the board before adoption.

Board members asked clarifying questions about transportation efficiencies, associated student body (ASB) fund balances, and travel budgets; staff explained some ASB activity budgets plan a beginning fund balance and that school ASBs typically draw on that balance for activities rather than preserving it. No formal budget adoption occurred at the July 10 meeting; the board will consider the appropriation resolution at the Aug. 14 meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","SVSD Board of Directors Meeting 7.10.2025","oneSentenceSummary","District finance staff told the board July 10 that the general fund is roughly balanced in the proposed 2025–26 budget, with capacity for $4.2 million in contingency, added preschool classes and more bus drivers; the board will consider formal adoption on Aug. 14.","taxTitle","Snoqualmie Valley School District, School Districts, Washington","taxId",38324,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6166825,"Parents ask Snoqualmie Valley School District to approve transfer petition over long bus commutes",339,157000,496000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5414338-63239710c49abcb89057a36d5c7398cf&start=157&end=496","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5414338-63239710c49abcb89057a36d5c7398cf/thumbnail_157000.jpg","/articles/6166825/Washington/Parents-ask-Snoqualmie-Valley-School-District-to-approve-transfer-petition-over-long-bus-commutes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6166825-d587566d714a09090f1a961f8c327622/orig.mp4?Expires=1771042459&Signature=Xh7~hqqh-bLj5VBmgs-A49HXRvbX-6qRlQEUS7uSJ0sB2~1eV6Vk5YIKTHMh6I9CiaHd71lHBANMQF8auUTLHzC8~mspd2bO6nUKgIZUvISCdvfL6Y-qM9RAUe8u6XOcsvlCsWSir4wsy7atdridZljUv5l6ViGQm22w6OPM-hFig8jqe3Hp0~RY3OV5KIf48M9g9UthR4fU7V0Qx4-uG7pqjbL-IOlpuukn-JweHMxefzG-LA-wQz1XHlsO3a7H2v8gxvDvXvyQaOY3WR9188Heqqg~RGm4~wnluC7N41Gyj93c7OxARbEccyn9vMConEqwffmpo4gI5jyhqSPuPA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Parents and a child urged the Snoqualmie Valley School District Board of Directors on July 10 to approve a petition that would reassign their North Sammamish neighborhood to a closer school district, saying current school assignments subject children to long bus rides and reduce family access and safety.

The petition — which petitioners said has been submitted to the district — asks the board to approve a transfer to schools closer to the speakers’ homes, allowing shorter commutes and access to aftercare and activities they said are unavailable under the current assignments.

Saurabh Shrivastava, a North Sammamish parent, told the board that his family is currently zoned to Snoqualmie Valley schools while Lake Washington schools are “103 miles away.” He said the elementary and middle school assigned to his daughter are about 9 miles from his home and the assigned high school is about 16 miles away. “When she turned 5, we couldn't send her to Paul City Elementary expecting a young child to do a 1 hour bus ride each way without access to a restroom,” Shrivastava said, adding that daily driving and two round trips a day were “not sustainable for us.”

Sonal Kumar, another parent from the same neighborhood, said the long travel time affects her ability to reach her child in an emergency and disrupts her work. “If my daughter gets sick and needs to be picked up, it could take me nearly an hour just to get her home,” Kumar said. She told the board that of the 65 homes in the neighborhood only four children attend Snoqualmie Valley schools and that, if enrolled, her younger child would initially be alone on a bus for roughly three miles before another student is picked up.

Ariadne Shrivastava, an 8‑year‑old who addressed the board, described missing neighborhood friendships because she attends a different school than the children who live across the street. “I would love to join the same school as the kids across the street so I can see them after school,” she said.

The speakers asked the board to consider zoning exceptions in cases where the assigned school is an hour away by bus while a nearer school is within walking distance. Petitioners said exchanging districts would allow students to use aftercare, participate in activities without lengthy transportation, and reduce the safety and emotional concerns families described.

The board accepted the public comments but did not take formal action on the petition during the July 10 meeting. Petitioners reported the petition had been submitted; the transcript does not record a board vote or staff directive on the request.

What was said at the meeting reflects petitioners’ experience and requests; the board did not announce a timeline or next steps for the petition during the session.","Three public commenters — two parents and an 8-year-old student — told the Snoqualmie Valley School District board on July 10 that their North Sammamish neighborhood should be allowed to transfer to a closer district, citing hour‑long bus rides, safety and loss of neighborhood ties.","actionData","errors"]

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Snoqualmie Valley previews mostly balanced 2025–26 budget; preschool expansion, transportation and staff changes highlighted

Parents ask Snoqualmie Valley School District to approve transfer petition over long bus commutes