Spokane Public Schools families,
No Dear, but no colon; this is not a friendly letter and not quite a business letter.
We have been talking for the past few months about new ways to meet student needs within the changing budget constraints of a new state funding model that reduced our local levy capacity by $43.6 million over two years. We have discussed priorities and expectations with you and engaged in ongoing advocacy with the state legislature about fully funding education in Spokane and statewide.
Why only in the past few months, if the McCleary decision was years in the making, has this issue become so salient? Because, ironically, the union won. Teachers reap the windfall, and the state the whirlwind, of attempting to act upon the WA constitutional mandate to fund education.
The conversation has been as thoughtful as it is complex. We have considered numerous ideas and debated the potential impacts of each to students. Although the budget is finalized by the school board in late August, we have to move forward now in our budget and staffing planning to fulfill contractual obligations with employees.
We have been talking for the past few months about new ways to meet student needs within the changing budget constraints of a new state funding model that reduced our local levy capacity by $43.6 million over two years. We have discussed priorities and expectations with you and engaged in ongoing advocacy with the state legislature about fully funding education in Spokane and statewide.
Why only in the past few months, if the McCleary decision was years in the making, has this issue become so salient? Because, ironically, the union won. Teachers reap the windfall, and the state the whirlwind, of attempting to act upon the WA constitutional mandate to fund education.
The conversation has been as thoughtful as it is complex. We have considered numerous ideas and debated the potential impacts of each to students. Although the budget is finalized by the school board in late August, we have to move forward now in our budget and staffing planning to fulfill contractual obligations with employees.
Right thing to do < Meeting the terms of a contract. Such is the machinery of the law which the two sides have seen fit to appeal to; in the relentless parlance of our time, we have to move forward. In that light, the thoughtful, complex conversation has been merely a matter of managing the fait accompli that sooner or later people would be losing their jobs, and the school board would have to bow before the exigencies of finance.
We have intentionally limited spending this school year while staying focused on our mission of educating students. Still, our financial commitments, most of them made long before the state funding change, are growing faster than our revenues. Despite efforts to find greater efficiencies, we are facing a 2019-20 budget gap of more than $31 million that requires tough choices. Unfortunately, as the Seattle Times recently reported, 253 of the state’s 295 districts also face deficits.
We have intentionally limited spending this school year while staying focused on our mission of educating students. Still, our financial commitments, most of them made long before the state funding change, are growing faster than our revenues. Despite efforts to find greater efficiencies, we are facing a 2019-20 budget gap of more than $31 million that requires tough choices. Unfortunately, as the Seattle Times recently reported, 253 of the state’s 295 districts also face deficits.
What falls under efficiencies here? Not millions of dollars all at once, but certainly hundreds of thousands could be saved just by setting a full hiatus on purchases of new technology, and taking the trouble to fully integrate the existing technology would no doubt reveal a great many points of overlap and redundancy within, say, payroll, maintenance, or transportation. Again, millions and tough choices, though, can only be accounted for with personnel.
Today, we began notifying 325 staff members districtwide, including 182 certificated staff, that they will go into layoff status at the end of the school year. I wanted you to hear this information from me and also to know that your student will continue to be cared for by our dedicated staff.
Today, we began notifying 325 staff members districtwide, including 182 certificated staff, that they will go into layoff status at the end of the school year. I wanted you to hear this information from me and also to know that your student will continue to be cared for by our dedicated staff.
The technocratic circumlocution of layoff status is beautifully rounded off by the personal touch, the authoritative promise, that all will be well. Not that I have a student attending SPS, but that staff and parents are so neatly conflated here is well-intended, I'm sure.
Reductions started several months ago in the central office and other organizational support functions to minimize impact to classrooms. More than 41 percent of the cuts were made away from the classroom. The nearly $5 million in cuts in those areas are still not enough to sustain our ongoing needs. SPS central office functions account for 4.5 percent of the total budget, the second lowest percentage among peer districts statewide. Investments in student learning account for about three quarters, the third highest among our peers statewide.
To fend off the immediate critique that cuts should be borne by the central administration rather than the classroom, we get data spouting in all directions now. Percentages of cuts and of budgets, which nevertheless leave out other points of data we might have liked to know. If a mere $5 million accounts for some 40 or more percent of the cuts, how is the $31 million in shortfall figure cited earlier relevant? If I'm following, it now sounds like only around $12-15 million needs cut for the coming year, of which almost half is accounted for. But if the total shortfall can be effectively halved in the space of a couple of condescending paragraphs, then surely that $7 or so million remaining can be waved away by some clever bookkeeping?
In the coming days and weeks, you will hear more information about recommendations to reimagine the elementary school day and change the library model districtwide. A recommended change to the elementary school day would introduce a consistent weekly schedule for families, add time for students to eat lunch, build in additional social emotional time, and creatively reduce K-3 class sizes while doing all of those things more cost effectively.
Reductions started several months ago in the central office and other organizational support functions to minimize impact to classrooms. More than 41 percent of the cuts were made away from the classroom. The nearly $5 million in cuts in those areas are still not enough to sustain our ongoing needs. SPS central office functions account for 4.5 percent of the total budget, the second lowest percentage among peer districts statewide. Investments in student learning account for about three quarters, the third highest among our peers statewide.
To fend off the immediate critique that cuts should be borne by the central administration rather than the classroom, we get data spouting in all directions now. Percentages of cuts and of budgets, which nevertheless leave out other points of data we might have liked to know. If a mere $5 million accounts for some 40 or more percent of the cuts, how is the $31 million in shortfall figure cited earlier relevant? If I'm following, it now sounds like only around $12-15 million needs cut for the coming year, of which almost half is accounted for. But if the total shortfall can be effectively halved in the space of a couple of condescending paragraphs, then surely that $7 or so million remaining can be waved away by some clever bookkeeping?
In the coming days and weeks, you will hear more information about recommendations to reimagine the elementary school day and change the library model districtwide. A recommended change to the elementary school day would introduce a consistent weekly schedule for families, add time for students to eat lunch, build in additional social emotional time, and creatively reduce K-3 class sizes while doing all of those things more cost effectively.
But no, the elementary schools, and particularly, the hapless librarians, will be bearing the brunt of the lost jobs. After an absurd amount of cost in time and money and mindless coursework to earn a state certificate, these lovers of books will be the oblation pacifying the fates. And it will be fine, because now kids will have more lunch- and social time!
Our obligation and promise is to provide the educational experience you expect. Thank you for choosing Spokane Public Schools.
Our obligation and promise is to provide the educational experience you expect. Thank you for choosing Spokane Public Schools.
Again, the conflation here is remarkably glib: an obligation to pay the piper can so easily be phrased as a promise to meet vague, but surely extremely low, expectations. With hardly any charter schools, and a handful of ludicrously costly private schools in the area, we are fobbed off with thanks, as if we had a choice!
Shelley
Shelley
Again, no salutation, but no honorific either. After that bracing honesty, of course we're on first name basis.
There's been more local coverage since: the basis for the layoffs, per union contract, presumably, was seniority. Profiles of laid-off teachers made the front page today (note the grim look, the armful of ineffectual books. Good grief!).
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