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Evergreen budget options draw responses

Faculty, staff, public describe pitfalls of district's 'worst-case scenario' plan

By Howard Buck
Published: March 4, 2011, 12:00am

Evergreen’s budget picture worsens considerably if state-funded levy equalization dollars are reduced in Olympia.

Funding to “equalize” classroom support across Washington, that boosts school districts with less-than-average property values, would bring about $13 million to Evergreen in 2011-12.

Unless state legislators hear noisy, steady demand from constituents to preserve levy dollars, they make a prime target for deficit-battling cuts. That’s the fear of Victoria Bradford, longtime Evergreen school board member who urged the school community to keep the heat on lawmakers.

“Legislators say they’re not hearing from constituents,” Bradford told a budget forum crowd on Tuesday. “They want it, they need it.

Evergreen's budget picture worsens considerably if state-funded levy equalization dollars are reduced in Olympia.

Funding to "equalize" classroom support across Washington, that boosts school districts with less-than-average property values, would bring about $13 million to Evergreen in 2011-12.

Unless state legislators hear noisy, steady demand from constituents to preserve levy dollars, they make a prime target for deficit-battling cuts. That's the fear of Victoria Bradford, longtime Evergreen school board member who urged the school community to keep the heat on lawmakers.

"Legislators say they're not hearing from constituents," Bradford told a budget forum crowd on Tuesday. "They want it, they need it.

"I've been doing this (lobbying Olympia) for 12 years, and what I'm hearing scares me," she said. The Legislature did agree in December to keep levy funds alive in the current school year. But that commitment easily could erode, as schools are pitted against other causes for money.

"It's schools, and social programs -- both are compelling," Bradford said.

State Rep. Tim Probst, D-Vancouver, vice chairman of the House Education Committee, hasn't noticed a lull. But he agrees that levy money remains vulnerable and that "vigilance" is in order.

"We won the last (battle). There's nothing that's not at risk in the next budget," Probst said. "The only message is that everybody should not take anything for granted. Things can change every day here." - Howard Buck

“I’ve been doing this (lobbying Olympia) for 12 years, and what I’m hearing scares me,” she said. The Legislature did agree in December to keep levy funds alive in the current school year. But that commitment easily could erode, as schools are pitted against other causes for money.

“It’s schools, and social programs — both are compelling,” Bradford said.

State Rep. Tim Probst, D-Vancouver, vice chairman of the House Education Committee, hasn’t noticed a lull. But he agrees that levy money remains vulnerable and that “vigilance” is in order.

“We won the last (battle). There’s nothing that’s not at risk in the next budget,” Probst said. “The only message is that everybody should not take anything for granted. Things can change every day here.” – Howard Buck

o What: Budget forums.

o When, where: 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the school auditoriums:

March 10: Mountain View High School, 1500 S.E. Blairmont Drive.

March 23: Union High School, 6201 Friberg-Strunk St.

March 31: Heritage High School, 7825 N.E. 130th Ave.

o Also: Evergreen will also host a live cable TV-Internet webcast from 6 to 7 p.m. March 16 with Superintendent John Deeder and Chief Operating Officer Mike Merlino.

The leader of Evergreen Public Schools opened a public dialogue on Tuesday by lambasting a list of potential budget cuts worth $27 million.

“There isn’t one thing on that list — one thing — that we like,” Superintendent John Deeder told more than 120 school parents, teachers, students, alumni and others who flocked to the Evergreen High School auditorium on a dank, dark night.

They came to ponder a “worst-case scenario” blueprint for balancing Evergreen’s budget, should state legislators sharply reduce school funding to tackle a roughly $5 billion, two-year state spending deficit.

Any new cuts would follow $16.3 million in district reductions made since 2008, which means there’s not much low-hanging fruit left — only changes that sting.

o What: Budget forums.

o When, where: 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the school auditoriums:

March 10: Mountain View High School, 1500 S.E. Blairmont Drive.

March 23: Union High School, 6201 Friberg-Strunk St.

March 31: Heritage High School, 7825 N.E. 130th Ave.

o Also: Evergreen will also host a live cable TV-Internet webcast from 6 to 7 p.m. March 16 with Superintendent John Deeder and Chief Operating Officer Mike Merlino.

A list of 45 proposed program or staffing reductions includes four options added by an ad hoc budget advisory committee that includes several parents. Each would shave between $15,000 (eliminate food at all district meetings) to $10.1 million (jettison 130 classroom teachers).

Read the proposed budget cuts.

OK, chances are the former would find few defenders.

But for nearly an hour, after an overview by Deeder and budget director Mike Merlino, affected parties gave one heartfelt testimonial after another to highlight the human cost of any savings achieved — all serving to underscore Deeder’s lament.

What the audience heard:

• A lengthy rebuttal of the ad hoc panel’s suggestion that 33 instructional coaches — namely, teachers assigned to coach other teachers in each Evergreen school — are a nonessential “luxury” in the budget crunch (savings: $2.4 million), even in the eyes of many teachers.

Dave Schaefer, who splits time coaching and teaching at Ellsworth Elementary, cited national research that shows positive academic results. In Evergreen, coaches have helped to eliminate isolation of teachers in their classrooms, kept them on pace with a stream of education reforms, and resist one-size-fits-all mentoring that doesn’t work, he said.

Most school principals would be overwhelmed trying to replicate that work, he said.

If the coaches were eliminated, those certificated instructors would return to the classroom and, based on seniority rules, bump an equal number of teachers in the wave of potential staffing reductions, Schaefer noted.

Bottom line: “This role is really critical. … It’s impossible to see how we can maintain momentum in this district,” Schaefer said.

• A plea to not trim elementary school counselors from full time to half-time, effectively cutting more than 10 positions (savings: $800,000).

Kirsten Bledsoe, counselor at Crestline Elementary School, described her role as social worker, student advocate and crisis manager — far more than the bland “student assistant specialist” label might indicate. Pushing two schools on each elementary counselor, doubling their count to 900-1,000 pupils each, stands to cause harm, she said.

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“Everything would take a step backward … from proactive to reactive, from prevention to crisis intervention,” Bledsoe said.

• A strong argument from two Evergreen students, one past, one present, to retain drug and alcohol intervention specialists (savings: $450,000).

Said one who credited her own school’s aid for battling suicidal thoughts: “I realize how easy it is to forget how hard it is to be a kid, how everything is so intense and is a matter of life and death, and how it is to feel powerless.”

• A caution against dropping fifth-grade band and orchestra programs (savings: $500,000).

By sixth grade, more children are apt to find music “uncool” and would miss out on the peer support activity that helps musicians thrive in middle and high school, said Stacya Arnett, parent of four children.

Read the proposed budget cuts.

• Advice to: not trim one counselor at each high school (adult contact and support is important); not drop middle-school football (keeps boys engaged, focused on meeting academic standards); sharply curb time-and-cost-intensive state testing; find how to impose a small fee for bus transportation; and, rein in teacher and staff pay.

As for salary and benefits, Deeder said changes are being explored, but that statewide rules and contracts hold sway in many cases.

“Nothing’s off the table,” he said.

Evergreen’s school board will firm up cost-cutting plans once legislators set the state budget this spring. The school board won’t adopt a 2011-12 district budget until summer.

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