Libraries in the Darrington School District might have to do without librarians next year because of cutbacks forced by declining enrollment.
Darrington faces perhaps the bleakest budget issues, but other districts around Snohomish County, even growing ones, are looking to cut costs. The reasons include rising fuel costs, and increases in the price of electricity and insurance.
Potential cutbacks are showing up in preliminary budgets that districts are now putting together.
They are considering any possible savings, including not filling jobs left by retiring teachers and cutting the hours of educational assistants and custodians.
In addition to Darrington laying off its librarians, the elementary school could also lose its counselor, and a Darrington High School teaching vacancy could go unfilled.
“When you have to cut someone as important as a counselor and a librarian, it really hurts,” said Larry Johnson, the district’s superintendent.
Darrington’s problems are two-fold: rising costs and declining enrollment. The district has been losing enrollment in recent years. Its senior class of nearly 60 is being replaced by a kindergarten class numbering in the 30s.
Schools receive funding from the state based on enrollment, and Darrington is expecting to absorb a loss of between $115,000 and $120,000.
Other school districts plan to rely on retirements to cut the size of staffs.
But it may not be enough.
In some districts, ongoing contract talks with teachers unions pose a big question mark, one that could stretch the list of cuts.
“Since we spend the majority of our operating budget on teacher compensation, whatever happens during bargaining has a considerable effect,” said Susan Stoltzfus, spokeswoman for the Northshore School District.
Lake Stevens School District must make cuts totaling $600,000. The district is buying fewer new textbooks and leaving nonclassroom positions open.
“That’s just to start with,” said Teresa Main, executive director of business services. “We don’t know what bargaining is going to do, what teachers will settle on. … We probably will have more cuts to make, but we don’t know how much or where.”
Elsewhere in Snohomish County, Everett School District will have to make $2.7 million in cuts, and Monroe School District is looking for places to trim $1 million.
Along with leaving positions unfilled, Everett will eliminate two administrative jobs, buy fewer textbooks and supplies, and look for cuts in areas outside of classrooms.
Meanwhile, Snohomish and Sultan school districts, which passed their local operating levies later than others after initial failures at the polls, are still crunching their budget numbers.
Marysville is searching for ways to cut $1 million in basic education costs in next year’s budget.
Some of the savings will be used for start-up costs when a new elementary school opens in 2008 and a new high school in 2010 or 2011.
It will also offset increasing costs of diesel fuel and utilities. Diesel is expected to increase by $50,000; utilities, ranging from water, natural gas, electricity and insurance, are expected to cost $300,000 more.
Marysville is considering leaving the equivalent of two-and-a-half teaching positions unfilled and cutting the equivalent of six educational assistants, among other savings.
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@ heraldnet.com.
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