Schools to rehire laid-off teachers

Buoyed by the prospect of a nearly balanced 2009-10 budget, the White Salmon Valley School District's board of directors OK'd the re-hiring of previously laid-off teachers, up to a cap of $133,000, during last Wednesday's business meeting in the Columbia High School library.

A preliminary budget handed out during the June 17 meeting anticipates General Fund expenditures of $12,527,742 in the next school year and revenues of $12,471,085, for a shortfall of $56,657.

Outgoing Supt. Dale Palmer said that deficit will be pared considerably--into a manageable range of $17,000 or so--once the administration has completed its review of next year's projected expenditures and revenues.

"We're working hard to identify and make other cuts in the budget so we can hire back as many people as possible," Palmer said. "Considering where we started and how far we've had to come (to close the deficit), it'll be close."

A final budget will go before the school board at its July 15 meeting.

Last Wednesday, the school board approved across-the-board cuts of $50,100 in basic education budget items and $89,100 in voter-approved maintenance-and-operations levy items.

But directors also got some good news on the revenue side, where, as a result of a projected 23-student increase in enrollment, the district will receive more from the state to pay for teachers.

"Enrollment is the driving force behind our budget," Palmer said.