STANWOOD — As the economic recession continues and the Legislature is weighing budget cuts, the Stanwood-Camano School District is bracing for what could happen.
An anticipated $2.5 million revenue shortfall has prompted the district to add more work for administrators, including requiring e
ach of the two middle school principals to also supervise an elementary school next year.
It’s a similar story in most other Snohomish County school districts, where officials are anticipating big cuts.
In Monroe, the school district is closing a school and administrators are taking unpaid furlough days. In Snohomish, about 37 teaching positions could be eliminated. In Everett, more than 1,000 people responded to an online survey asking for suggestions on how to slash things from that district’s budget. Arlington and Edmonds school districts plan to host budget question-and-answer sessions.
Small school districts like Darrington have been doubling up duties for administrators for years. Now, with the state budget crisis, rising expenses and steadily declining enrollment, Stanwood-Camano is downsizing, too.
Elger Bay Elementary Principal Jon Evavold, 67, is expected to retire in June, and his departure will set off a wave of changes. For example, Stanwood Elementary Principal Victor Hanzeli moves to Elger Bay and Stanwood Middle School Principal Barbara Marsh adds Stanwood Elementary to her workload.
Superintendent Jean Shumate expects the administrative consolidations will save the school district about $250,000.
And she hopes the cuts mean the district will send out fewer pink slips to teachers. Even so, the district expects to make faculty cuts in May and layoff classified staff in June.
“Our school population has declined to about the same numbers the district had in 1997 — about 4,600,” Shumate said. “So it’s a data-driven decision to cut back. Our hope is that we will minimize the impacts on classrooms.”
Shumate said she doesn’t yet know how many teachers and other staff members might lose their jobs, but a draft of the teacher reduction plan is scheduled to be presented to the Stanwood-Camano School Board at its April 19 meeting. Retirements, resignations, leaves of absence and job sharing may mean that no teachers have to be laid off, Shumate said.
Because the state has not been able to fund elementary school programs as anticipated this year, Shumate said, the district has had to dip into the reserve accounts to meet payroll. At this point, there’s only enough in the school district’s savings to cover a month of payroll and utilities, she said.
“These are tough times, and we understand that the state Legislature has a tough job to do,” Shumate said. “We’ve been in close touch with our 10th District legislators and they know what we are facing.”
Meanwhile, Principal Evavold, who has been an educator for 40 years, believes the economy will turn around and the need for new teachers will return.
“I’ve seen this kind of thing several times in my career. Stanwood-Camano School District will be fine,” Evavold said. “People are stepping up to the plate, and that’s what we have to do now.”
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
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