Anacortes schools facing layoffs

Borgen says the “We’re trying to let people know sooner, rather than later” who will be laid off. He will be meeting with teachers, the public as well as other groups interested in the school system over the coming weeks to help determine how to streamline the budget.

Borgen is meeting today with teachers and staff at Mt. Erie Elementary School. Other schools meetings are coming up. The district hopes to start notifying staff early next month just who may be laid off. A 2-day workshop is set for late February for those teachers and other staff members facing layoffs.

May 15 is the deadline for teacher contracts to be signed for the next school year.

The school district expects the recent trend of declining enrollment will continue next year with as many as 175 fewer students. Fewer students means less financial support from the state and federal governments.

Since the current school year started, the school district has trimmed about $660,000 from the budget, in part by instituting a hiring freeze, cutting off district-paid field trips and digging into the district’s cash reserve.

Borgen is also quick to point out that over the past few years “the District lowered class sizes and not only maintained, but enhanced, its instructional programs and increased instructional and support staffing to student programs; thus preventing a RIF (reduction in force) taking place.”

The school district’s 7.5% budget cut planned for next year is based on the the Governor’s proposed budget, which could face significant changes in the current session of the state legislature, especially in light of a projected state government shortfall in the range of $7 billion.

The school board has scheduled a public session for Feb. 25 called “School Fiance 101,” which will outline just how challenging it is to budget for a school system.