The Bellevue School District is moving forward with $20 million in budget cuts for the 2025–26 school year as it works to address ongoing financial shortfalls. Superintendent Dr. Kelly Aramaki outlined the district’s fiscal situation during the August 7, 2025 school board meeting, citing years of operating costs exceeding revenue and a steady depletion of cash reserves.
Since 2018, the district has consistently spent more than it has brought in—about $10 million more per year since the COVID-19 pandemic—draining reserves below the 5% minimum required by board policy.
Factors include rising costs, increased student needs, and what Aramaki described as inadequate state funding. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has placed the district on its financial warning list…