The district has an operating budget of nearly $1.5 billion

Most voters have no idea of the yearly cost to run the Seattle school district and to be honest it's very difficult to find the real cost buried in budget reports when there are many non budgetary expenditures that the school board never sees because the cost falls under the required $249,000 amount that triggers needed board approval. In most school districts the threshold is $10,000 not a quarter of a MILLION dollars. 

WA state recently approved a two-year budget funding Washington’s 2,400 K-12 public schools $27.2 billion,  a increase of $4.4 billion. Most school districts are now receiving $16,000 per student. $16,000 per school year is above the average yearly tuition of most private schools in Seattle.

 Below is the recent email from SPS disclosing a staggering $1.5 BILLION budget,

"The Seattle School Board will be appointing a new Board Director on August 28 for District VII (see map here) representing schools and students in Southeast Seattle.
Seattle Public Schools is the largest district in the state, home to 53,000 diverse students that attend 102 schools. The district has an operating budget of nearly $1.5 billion. The seven-person Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors governs the district and plays a critical role in the education of our students and stewardship of public investment. Each director, while responsible for oversight of the entire district, also represent seven distinct “districts” across the city.
The District VII board seat has been vacated by Director Betty Patu, a two and half-term board director and community leader of Southeast Seattle.  Washington state law (RCW 28.A343.370) guides the transition process. When a board seat vacancy occurs outside the regular election cycle, the current board appoints a candidate to finish that term. In this case the appointed term will last for two years and reopen for public election during the 2021 campaign cycle.   
It is the intent of the School Board to engage in a transparent process, with community assistance to solicit candidates and gather feedback from families, students, partners, and staff.
More information about the appointee process, criteria, timeline and engagement opportunities can be found on the School Board webpage.
If you have questions about the School Board appointment process please email schoolboard@seattleschools.org.
School Board Office"

 Included in the $1.5 BILLION DOLLARS are some interesting items that might raise the eyebrows of taxpayers,               Details here

Seattle public schools  outside services contracts for 2019-2020
Yellow Wood Academy	$509,000
Maxim Healthcare Services	$950,000
Brightmont Academy	$340,000
Brock’s Academy	$585,300
Experimental Education Unit	$301,923
Wonderland Developmental Center	$905,769
Northwest Center	$2,264,422
Boyer Children’s Clinic	$3,220,512
UW Experimental education unit	$1,483,463
New England Center for Children	$412,706	expense for one student
Therapeutic Treatment Day Services	$1,890,000
Overlake Hospital Specialty School	$283,000
Fairfax Hospital/NWSOIL	$646,000
Seneca Family of Agencies	$961,000
Seattle Children’s Hospital	$465,500
Spring Academy	$657,072
Total	$15,875,667	that's $16 MILLION a year