The Bellevue School District budget cuts process is starting now. The economy and state budget cuts will impact our schools and students this fall and continue the next few years. We won’t know just how much until the Legislative session ends in mid-March.

Meanwhile, a 20-member Fiscal Advisory Committee to the district convened Feb. 25. Essentially our job is to develop and rank a list of priorities, possible budget cuts and savings ideas.

In mid April the superintendent, Dr. Amalia Cudeiro, will present her budget recommendations to the school board.

Comment deadline is March 25. We need your comments and feedback now. Go to WWW.BSD405.ORG home page. Follow links to 2010-2011 District Budget to access easy to use comment page and to get more information.

There will be three school district community meetings:

March 11, 6-8 p.m. at Newport High School

March 18, 5-7 p.m. at Sammammish High School and

March 24 6-8 p.m. at Interlake High School

The next Fiscal Advisory Committee meetings are March 25 and April 1 at the Wilburton Center. Live video feed will be available. These are not public comment sessions to the committee.

Know that, unfortunately, most cuts will come from the district’s general maintenance and operations fund which is where most of the state money goes along with the Maintenance and Operations Levy money. This is not the levy money from the February 2010 levies, which were a Capital Levy used mostly for buildings and a Technology Levy.

Understand also that much school funding is based on complicated formulas, both state and federal. These government monies, along with the Capital and Tech Levies are often limited and dedicated for certain programs and uses and they cannot be moved around or used for other things.

What this means for us, our schools and our students is that some things, programs, and/or extras in the Bellevue School District could and will go away next fall. It could be things like:

The 7-period day in middle and high schools (the state funds only 5); transportation, athletics and extracurricular activities, textbooks and curriculum; limited elective class choices, other programs like art, music and PE; bilingual and gifted programs to name a few; less staff, including aides, librarians, counselors, nurses, and teachers (compensation makes up the largest percentage of its budget and includes union contract legal requirements, too); and larger class sizes.

What do you care about? What are your ideas for potential savings?

Also, please join me at Crossroads Bellevue Mall in the center court area for an informal gathering, chat and info each Sunday, March 7, 14, and 21, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Sharon Taubel is a Parent Representative for East Bellevue Feeder Schools, BSD Fiscal Advisory Committee