It’s hard to escape news about the economic crisis facing our state and nation. Many individuals, families, and businesses in our community are struggling. State revenue forecasts look bleak.

The vast majority of school funding comes from the state, and with the state budget headed for a shortfall of $8 to $10 billion, schools are bracing for unprecedented cuts. Highline Public Schools will have to cut $5 to $8+ million from the budget for the next school year. This will mean substantial reductions in programs and services to students.

Currently, school district leaders are prioritizing programs, with a focus on the district vision of preparing all students for college, career, and citizenship. “With the public’s input, our school board has established a set of district goals, with academic achievement for every student at the top. All budget decisions will be weighed against those priorities.” says Superintendent John Welch. View Highline’s strategic goals.

The district’s top student achievement priorities include:

• Student success in math: training for teachers, extra help for struggling students, and support for students to take and pass higher level math courses.
• Accountability: training to help school personnel track student progress and modify teaching as necessary, funds to provide extra help to our neediest schools and students, and preparing for the new state assessment that will replace the WASL.
• Closing the achievement and college-ready gaps: increasing the performance of low-achieving students while pushing our high-achieving students to higher levels.

The superintendent and his team, with input from district staff, principals, and community, must now determine what programs and people are necessary to support these broad priorities.

At this point, the district does not foresee major teacher layoffs. However, some positions may not be filled after teachers leave the district or retire. There will be some reductions in non-teaching staff.“We are trying to avoid impacts on the classroom and minimize layoffs as much as possible,” says Highline’s Executive Director of Business Services Susan Smith Leland. However, the district won’t know the extent of staff cuts required until after the legislature finalizes the state budget, which could be late spring.

Community members do have a say on proposed budget cuts. Comments can be submitted on the district website. The school board encourages the public to attend board meetings and budget work sessions. All schools will host budget information meetings, and a district-wide community forum on the budget will be scheduled in early April.

School Board Budget Work Sessions
The community is encouraged to attend.
March 25 - 7:00 p.m. Evergreen Campus
April 22 - 7:00 p.m.  Tyee Educational Complex
May 27 - 7:00 p.m. Southern Heights Elementary

Budget Questions and Answers

Does the district plan to close schools?
No. Enrollment is projected to be stable for the next several years and then grow slightly. We need all the schools we are currently operating.

Will there be teacher layoffs, and how will that impact class size?
We don’t anticipate major teacher layoffs or a significant change to class size. However, we won’t know how deep staff cuts must go until the state budget is finalized this spring.

Why is the district building schools if there is a budget shortfall?
Construction dollars are funded by a bond approved by voters in 2006. By law, these dollars can only be spent for capital improvements. It is not legal to transfer capital dollars to the general fund to pay for teachers and programs.

What is the timeline for determining budget cuts?

• March: Schools will hold informational meetings.
• March 25: Preliminary budget cut recommendations presented to school board.
• April: District will host community-wide informational meeting.
• April 22, May 27: Updated recommendations presented to school board.
• June 24: Final budget adoption by school board.