Forum: Marysville schools should prioritize hiring teachers

Published 1:30 am Saturday, September 9, 2023

By Becky Roberts / Herald Forum

Marysville School District’s financial mismanagement means our students are at risk of not getting their most critical needs met.

It is frustrating to see the district misleading the community after we worked so hard to get the school levy passed in February. Positions and services have been cut, class sizes are larger and there is less support for students in crisis. We have so many students living in trauma in our district and it is our responsibility to support them. This budget crisis puts the heaviest responsibility on front-line staff, and those positions are not being prioritized.

Despite claiming it has a budget crisis, the district has projected more spending in the 2023-24 school year than it spent the previous school year. The current proposed budget inflates spending on staffing, materials and supplies, especially considering its layoffs of all paraeducators and 45 teachers last spring.

Since the initial layoffs, the total number of vacant teaching positions peaked at a staggering 116, including resignations and retirements. The district has filled only 72 of the 116 total vacant teaching positions and is bringing paraeducators back at reduced hours; all while increasing the district superintendent’s pay and benefits.

This fabricated crisis has resulted in an unbalanced budget, triggering the state to place binding conditions on the district. This is bad for our students, and district staff are frustrated. The district should be creating a budget that genuinely reflects how the district plans to spend its money.

Teachers across the district are concerned this will have lasting impacts on the entire school year. They are unsure of when or how they will get the necessary resources for students in their classrooms. Misinformation from the district may cause the community to be hesitant to trust the district, which will impact everyday interactions with families. Many high-needs students had strong connections with educators who were laid off. Even if those educators are hired back, most are in different buildings or in different teaching positions, meaning students must still rebuild trust with someone new.

The district has been increasing the budget shortfall amount since last spring. Collectively, we just don’t know what is real anymore. The district is blaming budget issues on declining enrollment, which has fluctuated, but over the past three years enrollment has stayed consistent once the school years have begun.

It is time to be honest and transparent about the upcoming budget and to put our students and our school staff first. The district needs to follow our collective bargaining agreements, respect educator rights, and meet with the association to discuss our concerns.

To effectively serve our students and community, the district must prioritize their spending by hiring enough teachers and support staff to provide the services our students need.

Becky Roberts is president of the Marysville Education Association, representing Marysville district teachers.