Change is coming for the Tahoma School District now that the school board has adopted a budget plan with significant reductions.
A major highlight of the final plan was the ability to minimize the number of teaching positions that will need to be reduced, according to the document, with the original proposal recommending reducing 18 certificated staff.
“There would be a net reduction of 13 certificated positions,” the budget plan stated. “Eleven of those positions are being vacated by teachers who are retiring or who have worked on year-to-year contracts are retire-rehire staff. Two certificated staff members with continuing contracts will be released.”
The plan was adopted by the board on May 5 and board president Joe Vreeburg explained that after this nearly five month process “we’re relieved that we’re done.”
“We cut a whole bunch out and I’m concerned about the things that we cut out that can’t be replaced at this point and when can we get those back,” Vreeburg said. “We feel good that we minimized impacts to the classroom in the near term. I know every board member individually feels a little beat up. Through the process we all know we arrived at the best solution possible.”
Vreeburg pointed to the board’s decision to keep Camp Casey but to no longer fund it, a savings of $58,000, with the hope that parents and school leaders can find other ways to pay for the two-day environmental science experience for district fifth graders.
He was also glad the board was able to take in the feedback that was offered at a trio of public meetings as well as workshops with community leaders and find ways to make compromises.
“I think people have felt that we’ve really been open,” Vreeburg said. “I believe we’re in a much better situation than most other school districts in terms of what we’re eliminating from a people-perspective.”
From here, Vreeburg explained, the plan is back in the hands of the administrative staff who will implement the budget.
“We’ve put the structure in place,” he said. “We purposed — and this was difficult — stayed out of micromanaging. It’s not our job to tell them what teachers or classes they have to do. We need to trust the administrators to implement what we’ve just given them.”
Kevin Patterson, spokesman for the school district, said the next step is to make the adjustments.
“That begins this summer, when there will be no summer school except for high school students who are retrieving credits, which they pay to do, so it is cost-neutral,” Patterson said in an e-mail. “Lori Cloud (district finance director) begins work on crafting the actual detailed budget document, which the board will review and adopt this summer.”
Staff at Tahoma senior and junior high schools are working on class schedules that reflect the change in staffing, “though not as radically as first recommended,” while work on reducing energy and printing costs are also under way.
“We will also look at ways to continue moving ahead on implementing Classroom 10 (21st century learning) at a time when the Teaching and Learning Department budget has been reduced by more than a third,” Patterson said. “And we are keeping our fingers crossed that we don’t see huge spikes in energy costs next year, because we have very limited reserve funds.”
Patterson added that further down the road the district will have to look at running a replacement operations levy next year and possibly a continuation of the technology levy.
“There is an adjustment for families, too,” Patterson said. “Students who participate in school sports will be paying to participate; school lunch prices will go up (and) it will cost more for extended enrichment, preschool and all-day kindergarten.”
