Information below provided by Vashon Island School District
For the past four years, following through on district priorities has been challenging and in direct conflict with how we are funded by the state. That funding system is the root cause of the financial difficulties we have faced each year since then and face again next year.
Sadly, as we finalize the 2022-23 budget, we again project a sizable deficit that has resulted in necessary reductions in force and programming. News like this has raised many questions. We have created this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to help answer those questions.
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Frequently Asked Questions 2022-23 School Year Budget Deficit/Reduction in Force:
Why does the district need to make these reductions?
There are 8 major factors leading to current reductions.
- For the 2022-2023 school year, VISD and the King County region are projecting lower enrollment. VISD is expected to enroll 1,425 students for 2022-23 or 31 fewer students than are currently enrolled. VISD receives approximately $12,000 per student in state apportionment resulting in a projected $372,000 loss in revenues.
- The state prototypical funding model is broken. The state continues to severely under-fund adequate staffing levels across all staffing groups. The state’s basic education allocation pays for approximately 75% of all VISD staff. Therefore, additional teachers, paraeducators, custodians, and specialized services such as nursing, counseling, and special education are funded by our local levy.
- Related to the prototypical funding model, the 5.5% “pass through” that the state provided districts does not cover any compensation increases for the 25% of our staff not in the prototypical funding model.
- Ongoing COVID-19 pressures have exposed our need for enough reserves to both operate the district and pay staff in times where there are more questions than concrete answers. Due to expenditures related to COVID-19 that were not covered by ESSR, it was necessary to take approximately $400,000 from our reserves. The resulting fund balance is currently at the Board policy minimum of 5% and is not available to fund staffing shortfalls.
- Based on the factors above, our local educational programs and operations (EP&O) levy has had to ‘back-fill’ state and national responsibilities for basic education. After McCleary, the amount that the state will allow our voters to contribute has reduced from $1.50 per thousand dollars in 2018 to $1.20 in 2021.
- Like most school districts, VISD has had an increase in labor costs. However, Vashon did not receive commensurate “Regionalization” — an opaque and inequitable increase in funding apportionment by the state to selected districts.
- Enrollment of students who receive Special Education is decreasing, however, the expenditures necessary to provide services to some of our most vulnerable students has doubled over the last two years while revenues have decreased.
- The state reduced the funding that pays for the extra cost associated with the education and experience levels of educators. Vashon has a highly educated and experienced staff. We value continued education and experience, however, we continually run in a deficit to fund yearly increases in comparison to our yearly revenues.
While we are always thoughtful stewards of our resources and have a strong record of clean audits, we will be more deeply scrutinizing all expenditures, including travel, staff openings, materials and supplies, and more for the remainder of the year in order to seek out all possible savings. In addition, VISD administration will develop a three-year solvency and sustainability plan for the Board to approve early in the 2022-23 school year. This budgeting plan will identify future strategies that will keep our district fiscally solvent and sustainable over the near and far term.
Why the short period of time between Board budget work sessions and the Board taking action?
VISD receives budgeting information at different times in the spring. Projected enrollment, projected operational costs, compensation increases as a result of negotiations, and final revenues from the state legislature are all factors that help define the 2022-23 budget. With limited information, an accurate and final analysis was not fully known until the very end of April. Given the mandatory notification deadline for reduction in force for certificated staff is May 15th and once the analysis was complete, a Reduction in Force resolution was presented at the April 28th Board meeting followed by a Board budget work session on May 5th and the Board meeting on May 12th.
Are we considering other cuts, in addition to personnel?
As our district grows smaller, the only way to significantly address the deficit is to reduce the number of staff. However, VISD has been trimming their Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs (MSOCs) over the last several years. In order to relieve some of the shortfall, operations and facilities have eliminated an additional $200,000 for the 2022-23 budget. From these recent MSOC reductions, VISD was able to recover funding to staff school psychologists, school nursing services, VHS office staff, and maintenance staff. These are steps in the right direction but the process doesn’t stop here. Administrative staff will continue to work with all stakeholders to find creative solutions.
In addition, VISD continues to reduce by using available grants to supplement general funded positions, reviewing district costs for outside vendors/contracts, and not filling positions vacated by attrition. Approximately 78% of the staffing reduction plan did not result in loss of staff or staff hours.
Will class sizes be larger because of the reductions?
There are many variables that impact class sizes at both primary and secondary levels. Given our projected budget deficit and lower projected enrollment, and the need to reduce the total number of teaching positions, some but not all class sizes may be larger across the district. As we finish the year and student scheduling processes, our building administrators and counselors will continue to work on student schedules and student placement to make smaller classes.
How are schools and the district office impacted by reductions and should we be cutting administration?
All schools and district departments will be impacted by reductions. Looking at regional comparisons to like size school districts we are appropriately staffed in administration. Two years ago, we moved forward with reducing building administration by suspending the rehiring of an assistant principal McMurray Middle School. Regardless of the increase in unfunded mandates and the responsibilities and obligations associated with them, staffing at the district office has also been reduced for the 2022-23 school year.
How will these reductions impact our ability to implement the new VISD Strategic Plan?
When faced with the current budget reality, reductions have been steered away from programs that impact priority equity groups as much as possible. As enrollment decreases, we also see enrollment across equity priority groups decrease and have to adjust program staffing accordingly. Moving forward into the next school year, we will continue to review grant options as well as funding support from Vashon Schools Foundation to supplant what the state is continuing to underfund.
Is Vashon Schools Foundation (VSF) able to help with bridging budget shortfalls?
Yes, our incredible foundation, supported by you the community, is continuing to work with the district as we navigate the current budget reality. For example, in addition to ongoing planning, VSF will be providing more funding to support our current partners as well as providing funding for CES Outdoor School and Exploratory Week (currently not budgeted for 2022-23 due to budget shortfall). Anyone from the community can donate at this VSF Donation Link.
Message from Dr. McSheehy:
I want all of our school community to know that despite any reductions, Vashon Island School District is an outstanding school district that will continue to improve and grow as we move forward to fulfill our Vashon Promise. The people we may lose through this staff reduction process are amazing, brilliant people who will continue to make great contributions as they have made here in VISD. Even without them on the VISD team, we will continue to have a fantastic group of staff here who I am proud to work with and who are wonderful role models and supports for our students. We also have the most supportive community that I have seen in my experience as an educator. I look forward to continuing to expand the great collaboration we have with our staff as we work together creating solvency and sustainability in our schools. This communication is an effort towards accomplishing this goal as well as creating open and honest communication with our community who partners with us daily. Lastly, we have incredible students and as we make reductions we will do this work keeping them our top priority.
If you have any further questions not answered by or regarding the FAQ, please contact Superintendent Dr. Slade McSheehy at smcsheehy@vashonsd.org.