Budget Process

How does the budget process work?

The Tukwila School District superintendent, working with the Deputy Superintendent and Controller, prepares an operating budget prior to the beginning of each school year which must be approved by the School Board and submitted to the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) before August 31. OSPI ensures that we follow uniform guidelines and laws for budgeting, accounting, and financial reporting. The Tukwila School District annually convenes a Budget Advisory Team in the spring to seek feedback and representation from diverse stakeholders in the budget-building process.

The majority of the district’s operations budget is provided by the state government on a per-pupil basis. The federal government also provides funding for specific programs, such as special education and free/reduced-price meal services. The operations budget is used to fund all day-to-day programs and expenses, such as salaries, textbooks, utilities, transportation, and materials. Because state and federal dollars do not fully cover the costs of running school, the Tukwila School District also relies on a maintenance and operations (M&O) levy, approved every four years by local voters, to bridge the funding gap.The M&O levy currently provides for about 20 percent of the operations budget.