Superintendent John Welch has presented the school board with a plan to eliminate 10 administrator and managerial positions and make other reductions in central administration. The move is in response to an anticipated budget shortfall for the 2009-10 school year. The plan will save $1.1 million.

Due to state funding cuts, the district must reduce its budget for next year by $5 to $8 million.

One of the reductions was to eliminate salary increases and cost of living adjustments for all employees in administrator and management positions. In addition, hiring for two positions in Teaching and Learning have been postponed.

The positions to be eliminated are:

• One executive director of elementary and middle schools
• Director of Recruitment and Retention
• Principal on Special Assignment managing activities, athletics and student development
• Nutrition Services Manager
• Security Investigator
• Assessment and Evaluation Manager
• Coordinator of Budget and Financial Reporting
• Two elementary assistant principals
• One secondary assistant principal.

The district must make several million dollars in additional cuts. A slate of budget reduction options is being developed by the superintendent’s leadership team with input from staff and community. The options will be posted on the district website in mid-April.

The public is invited to participate in budget forums where participants will be asked to prioritize budget reductions. The budget forums will be held:

April 23, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Pacific Middle School Cafeteria

April 27, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Evergreen Campus Cafeteria

In addition, an anonymous comment form is currently on the district website. Staff and community members are invited to provide comments regarding budget reductions.

The state faces a budget shortfall of nearly $9 billion. State lawmakers have indicated that school funding will be reduced. The extent of cuts to individual districts won’t be known until the state budget is finalized in late April.

A federal stimulus package will make up for only a small fraction of anticipated state cuts and is targeted for specific uses, such as special education and technology.