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Vancouver Public Schools seeks community input on budget cuts

At online survey, residents can weigh in on which programs should be eliminated

By Katie Gillespie, Columbian Education Reporter
Published: May 6, 2019, 8:08pm

Vancouver Public Schools has scaled back its proposed budget cuts in light of new state money, but the 23,000-student school district is still planning for an $8 million budget deficit.

Now, after months of discussion, the district is turning to the community for its input on budget cuts.

The district announced Monday that it will conduct a community survey, allowing residents to make suggestions about which staff, programs and other expenditures should be cut. Survey-takers will be given a menu of potential cuts and must select $8 million worth of the proposals.

A link to the survey can be found on at vansd.org/budget-information/.

District spokeswoman Pat Nuzzo said now that the district knows the “actual scope” of the budget shortfall, it can start surveying “our broader community.”

Vancouver Public Schools has a budget of about $324 million.

The district has proposed action in 15 areas, including:

• A $3.75 million use of one-time fund balance, or cash reserves.

• A reduction of 21 classroom teachers for a $1.91 million savings.

• A 5 percent reduction to central office and support service budgets for a $1.2 million savings.

• The elimination of 11.8 counselor positions for a savings of $1.09 million.

• A 15 percent reduction of central office administrators for an $800,000 savings.

The survey will run until May 14. Results will be released on May 20. The district will convene an advisory committee of parents, staff and community members on May 23, and final recommendations, keeping in mind the survey and advisory committee discussion, will be made at the May 28 school board meeting.

Vancouver’s budget crisis is eased somewhat by $6.5 million in one-time funding legislators say is designed to ease the transition of the state’s new school funding model. The district will also reduce staffing levels due to declining enrollment for a savings of about $2.3 million.

Area school districts are still grappling with the fallout of the McCleary decision, the state’s landmark school funding lawsuit that ruled the state was failing to fully fund basic education.

The state’s new school funding formula, which increased state school property taxes while capping local levies, injected millions of dollars into local school districts. But area district leaders say new restrictions on how they can spend money, declining enrollment and increased labor costs — partly the result of last year’s heated union negotiations — have caused multimillion-dollar deficits.

The district has been criticized as not offering enough opportunities for public comment on the ongoing budget issues. Two school board candidates last week, Caressa Milgrove and Tracie Barrows, called on the district to be more transparent as it develops its budget.

“I think incorporating more of the community would help with the relationship they have right now,” said Milgrove, who is running against longtime board member and investment adviser Dale Rice.

Nuzzo disputed that, saying the district has hosted a series of public meetings, sent regular email updates and posted budget presentations on the district website.

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Columbian Education Reporter