The Coupeville School Board unanimously approved the budget for the 2024-25 school year, authorizing the district to cut about $1.13 million and to spend up to $18.8 million.

The board members said they were pleased with the progress made by the district. This year’s board meetings have been much quieter and more optimistic. Last year, the district’s decision to cut $1.27 million from the budget and to eliminate some beloved staff positions received a lot of criticism from community members and staff.

Board Member Sherry Phay, whose last meeting as a board member was on Thursday, expressed relief.

“It is extremely reassuring to go forward and to be able to vote on a budget that you actually have confidence in and that you feel good about,” she said. A year ago, she was the only board member to vote against the approval of the budget.

In the 2024-25 school year, the district should be able to save up to a total of $1.6 million dollars thanks to the reduction of material, supplies and operating costs and staff — which amount to $1.13 million — and the projected revenues from new programs — such as transitional kindergarten — and state funds, according to information shared by Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood.

Leatherwood, who has been serving the district for less than a month, said she did not make any cuts and is “rolling with” the cuts announced this spring by her predecessor, Steve King.

The district is eliminating five certificated positions — three have retired, one has resigned and one was laid off, Leatherwood wrote in an email. The district has also reduced days and hours for three classified employees who work in the maintenance/grounds, custodial and tech departments. Two paraeducator positions were reduced “through a combination of attrition and reduction,” and the school accountant position was eliminated through attrition.

As announced in April and June, the district is also temporarily pulling the plug on the secondary band/music program and the elementary art classes.

King previously explained that the band and music program, which costs about $160,000, had poor attendance following the pandemic, with only six high schoolers and a little over 20 middle schoolers participating this past year. In an email, he said he would have expected a high school band class to count between 25 and 45 students.

The elementary art classes were attended by all of the students at the elementary school as part of their weekly schedule, and cost about $100,000. Students will still have access to art education, which is included in the science, technology, engineering, art and math program — or “STEAM.”

The building budgets for the elementary, middle and high schools are being reduced by 10%, while food service is reducing costs by making some changes to products and the menu, Leatherwood wrote.

There will also be one less bus route, which will be announced once the district knows how many students are enrolled, Leatherwood wrote.

The district is also saving in athletic costs. In May, former athletic director Willie Smith and new athletic director Brad Sherman asked the district to reduce coaching stipends by $12,000 and to eliminate the $8,000 post-season bonus pay for eligible coaches to ensure that athletic programs would not be eliminated.

Other cuts include online curriculum subscriptions and copy machine and printer leases.

While the athletic trainer position is funded, Jessica Caselden will be on maternity leave. Leatherwood said it’s currently unknown whether someone will temporarily cover for her.

According to Leatherwood and a previous email from King, plans could change between now and the start of school.

Currently, the unions representing certificated and classified staff are negotiating their contracts, and students are still enrolling.

Based on student enrollment and needs, the district might need to bring back additional staff, Leatherwood wrote.

According to Leatherwood and Financial Director Brian Gianello, the district was able to create a balanced budget, despite Leatherwood’s initial concerns. The hope is that the budget will restore 2.67% of the fund balance, which in Coupeville should be at a minimum of 6%.

With a healthy fund balance, the district can reliably cover payroll and other costs when dealing with fluctuating enrollment and unexpected expenses, according to the district’s website. With a negative fund balance, the district might go under the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s binding conditions and lose control of its financial decisions.

Board member Nancy Conard said the district has a long way to go, but it’s headed in the right direction.

The board also unanimously approved a budget extension for the 2023-24 fiscal year because expenditures are expected to exceed this past year’s expenditure capacity of $18.4 million.

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood’s first name was “Sharon.” We regret the error.