Friday, May 09, 2008

Crisis on Infinite Districts

The syntax doesn't work, but the comic geek in me can't resist.

The Washington State School Director's Association does a great job with their daily E-Clippings of collecting all the education news from papers around the state. It's my start page, it's in my email box every morning (thanks, JL), and for anyone interested in schools in Washington it's a must-read.

Many of the articles in recent weeks have been highlighting the budgetary problems that districts have been having; taken in the aggregate, it's a pretty bleak picture. Below are links to stories that have appeared in E-Clippings in the past few weeks, from all around the state, on this year's budget woes:

Friday, May 9th:
Thursday, May 8th:
Wednesday, May 7th:
  • The Vancouver Columbian: Faced with a projected $2.4 million deficit next year, Vancouver Public Schools may eliminate 26 staff positions and make other cost-saving changes next year.
  • The Kitsap Sun: Tough Choices Ahead for Bremerton Schools
  • The Olympian: Olympia School Cuts Draw a Crowd
  • Peninsula Daily News: Port Angeles Schools Cut Budget, Keep Full Day Kindergarten

Tuesday, May 6th:
Monday, May 5th:
Friday, May 2nd:
Thursday, May 1st:
Tuesday, April 29th:
Monday, April 28th:
Friday, April 25th:
Wednesday, April 23rd:
Monday, April 21st:

Olympia, Bremerton, Vancouver, Aberdeen, Bethel, Blaine, Ferndale, Meridian, South Kitsap, Port Angeles, Edmonds, Central Valley, Mead, Dayton, White River, Sumner, Puyallup, North Thurston, Cle Elum, Ellensburg, Central Kitsap, North Kitsap, Medical Lake. North, east, west, south, all in the same house of budgetary horrors. And those are only the named districts; there are many, many more out there in the same boat.

At least we're all in it together. Yay?

Labels: , ,

posted by Ryan at 10:01 PM

3 Comments:

Blogger Jim Anderson said...

You can add my old haunt Elma to that list.

Yay indeed.

9:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"The thing that's plaguing South Kitsap is a steady decrease in student enrollment. The district expected enrollment to level off, but that hasn't happened, Patton said. Over the past 10 years, the district has lost 1,100 students —the equivalent of two elementary schools or one junior high — yet the number of teaching and classified staff has remained consistent"
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/may/08/sk-school-district-joins-those-with-budget-woes/

"budget crunches for the next school year due to state mandated staff salary raises without state funds to pay for them, increased fuel and utility costs and flat or declining enrollment. "
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/404847.html

"The district anticipates receiving about $8 million more in state dollars, local property tax and other revenues than in the current year’s budget, but costs are rising even faster, . . ."

"Declining enrollment will add to the district’s woes. After years of rising enrollment, the student population fell by 15 children this fall from a year earlier. Next fall, the district forecasts it will lose the equivalent of 163 full-time students from this year."
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/education/story/355085.html

"The Aberdeen School District is likely to have 15.5 fewer teaching positions next year as salary and benefits costs skyrocket and enrollment drops lower than any time in the past decade,"
http://thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/05/07/local_news/03news.txt

"The Legislature approved a 4-percent-plus pay raise for teachers and other workers it funds. But by contract the district must match the raises, plus pensions and benefits, for employees whose positions are paid for by local, taxpayer-approved levies. That’s about 47 percent of the salary hike, or $4 million total.
Transportation costs will outpace state support by $2.7 million
Special education costs will exceed state funding by $1.7 million."
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/05/05072008_Vancouver-Public-Schools-may-cut-staff.cfm

"But as enrollment numbers continue to decline — and may continue sliding as Westpark residents leave the redeveloping neighborhood to find their own residences — the amount of money the district can take from local taxes isn't keeping up."
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/may/06/tough-choices-ahead-for-bremerton-schools/


"I also think that the drop in students will be more dramatic than the 97 or so they are predicting," Linn said."
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080507/NEWS/805070302

"Declining enrollment, rising teacher salaries and skyrocketing fuel costs are squeezing school budgets throughout Snohomish County."
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080506/NEWS01/536388049/-1/news01#Cuts.loom.for.schools.across.Snohomish.County

"Enrollment is stable or declining, which affects how much money school districts get from I-728." [more than just I-728! the whole staff mix funding for BEA]
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/255/story/399806.html

"an enrollment drop of 78 students is expected next year."
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/03/25/local_news/02news.txt

"The cuts are necessary because of declining enrollment in the district and unfunded mandates from the state Legislature, Cohn said."
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080502/NEWS/805020302

"The Mead School District is facing a budget shortfall even as enrollment goes up because of rising fuel prices and higher than anticipated cost-of-living increases mandated by the Legislature. "
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/voices/story.asp?ID=242762&page=all

"Lower enrollment, rising utility costs and anticipated retirements have created the shortfall."
http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2008/04/30/local_news/080430l3dayton.txt

"The district expects to lose about 100 students, which will lower the amount it receives from the state."
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080427/NEWS/804270303

"Reduced enrollment makes up two-thirds of the reduced funds, while increased utilities will contribute $40,000 and retirement benefits another $60,000, Superintendent Rich Stewart said Tuesday."
http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2008/04/24/local_news/080424l7dayton.txt

"Aberdeen expects to lose 100 students, Hoquiam about 80, Elma about 70, meaning each district faces losing hundreds of thousands dollars from the state"
http://thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/04/20/local_news/02news.txt

"The district has several employee related costs that weren’t anticipated and an enrollment that is dropping."
http://www.kvnews.com/articles/2008/04/18/news/doc4808fad165c6e348344321.txt

Surprisingly, a number of the stories failed to report what was happening with enrollment. I'm asking the reporter if they even knew.

Now, if the welfare caseloads were dropping, how sympathetic would we be if the DSHS claimed that more funding was needed to keep them from having to lay off staff?
JL

9:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, well that's encouraging for a new teaching candidate like myself.

Maybe in a year, the districts will miraculously find some surplus cash laying around and come clamoring for new English/Language Arts teachers.

And while I'm at it, I'd like a pony.

12:59 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home