Edmonds may cut teachers in budget hit

By Pamela Brice

For the Herald

EDMONDS — Twenty teaching positions could be eliminated and five teachers laid off as the Edmonds School District tries to come up with a plan to deal with a $4 million shortfall.

A program that helps at-risk students also could be cut.

State budget cuts resulted in $1.8 million slashed from the Edmonds budget. Also, cost-of-living increases promised by voters, health benefit costs negotiated by the district and reductions in federal funding will mean a $5.5 million reduction in the district’s $152 million budget, district officials said.

Superintendent Wayne Robertson is considering not filling retiring assistant superintendent John Flaherty’s position. And the district may dip into its reserves, putting the total shortfall closer to $4 million.

But $4 million is a challenging number to deal with, Robertson said in a memo to staff.

"We must remember that throughout our nation, and particularly our state, financial resources truly are slipping," he said.

During the past several years, the district has spent 75 percent of its resources in the schools and the other 25 percent for support areas such as custodial, maintenance, transportation and central administration.

The budget reduction will be shared in the same way, Robertson said. Schools will shoulder 75 percent of the reduction, or about $3 million, while support areas will shoulder 25 percent, or about $1 million.

According to their recommendation, classroom staff-to-student ratios will stay the same, but because of retirements and transfers of employees to other positions, 20 teaching positions may be eliminated.

"No elementary school teachers would lose their jobs. They will be moved to other positions within the district," financial director Marla Miller said.

The only layoffs recommended are five in the high school career and technical education programs.

The recommendation also cuts the budget for a program that helps students who are at risk of dropping out. The Contracted Learning, Individualized Pacing program helps students catch up on earning credits to graduate when they have fallen behind.

Several students, parents and teachers spoke to the school board recently to protest the proposed cuts in that program.

The cuts might have been worse were it not for the February passage of the district’s maintenance and operations levy, assuring $1.4 million for the 2002-03 school year.

Pamela Brice is a staff writer for the Enterprise weekly newspapers. You can call her at 425-673-6522 or send e-mail to brice@heraldnet.com.

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