District to drop 18 teaching positions

A unanimous, yet reluctant “aye” from directors of the Stanwood-Camano School District Board put weight behind the numbers.

Such hesitation shows how the board feels about reductions to our educational program, said President Roger Myers.

Tuesday’s vote gives the district time to notify certificated employees affected by the plan prior to the May 15 deadline.

Of the $2.5 million expected to be slashed, more than $1.3 million is expected to come from the pockets of 18.134 full-time equivalent (FTE) basic education teaching positions.

Administrators will not fill 13.9 FTE positions resulting from retirements, resignations and leaves at the end of the current school year.

On the upside, the reduction in force calculates to just slightly more than four positions.

One additional position will be reduced to accommodate an employee returning from leave.

Potentially, five current teachers will not have jobs in the district next year.

On the downside, the overall impact of losing 18 teachers district-wide will remain.

The absence of staff could lead to crowded core classes and the elimination of elective programs and activities.

Teacher stipends for clubs in grades K-8 are set for decreases and several coaching positions at the middle and high school level are pending elimination.

Rounding out the staff reductions are several classified positions bringing the total dollar amount to more than $2.1 million.

Special education paraeducator hours could be lowered nearly 71 hours per day under the plan.

The proposal raised some eyebrows during the board’s retreat discussion prior to the regular meeting.

Director Patrick Patterson asked administrators if a safety net was in place to accommodate for possible increases in special education demands throughout the school year.

Superintendent Jean Shumate, Ed.d., said the “target reduction” in special education was revisited several times after concern was voiced during a series of community meetings, the budget task force survey and internal discussions.

Administrators and specialists are trying to maintain flexibility in the program as they address the needs upfront, she said.

Linda Littlefield, executive director of human resources, said planning for the potential increase of students in the program has become more efficient than past years.

Several members of the board questioned how class sizes would be affected by scrapping 18 teaching positions.

Littlefield said the district has met periodically with principals to monitor how everything will shake out.

Every school is still within recommended range, but there could be impacts on certain programs, she said.

Administrators use a staffing allocation model provided by the state to determine the appropriate number of teachers based on student enrollment.

The district needs to stick close to the model to maintain financial stability, said Littlefield.

In addition to carving away hours and jobs, the plan hollows out more than $300,000 in non-employee related costs (NERC) from the budget to reach a targeted $2.5 million gouge.

Those cuts include district level budget limitations on supplies, the elimination of professional development funds for principals and tight expenditure caps on custodial supplies.

“I don’t see anything on this list we want to let go,” said Myers, “but we need to.”

Gary Platt, executive director of business services, prepared a summary for directors to highlight the distribution of cuts.

Using actual numbers from the 2009-10 budget and proposed reductions for next year, 32 percent of the total trimmings since the end of the 2008-09 school year have come from the NERC category, 8 percent from administration, 40 percent from teachers and 20 percent from classified staff (unionized and non-represented employees).

Within each category over the two-year period, budgets have dropped 14.2 percent for administration, 8 percent for teachers and 9.2 percent for classified staff. NERC’s budget dipped 17 percent.

The numbers show the district’s continued effort to preserve jobs in the classroom, said Platt.

Staff Reporter Adam Stewart: 629-8066 ext. 115 or astewart@scnews.com.