Students and teachers pile into the new Centralia High School building before starting classes in September, 2019.
On Tuesday evening, during the virtual Centralia School Board meeting, the board approved a “reduced educational program” resolution which laid off 90 district employees.
Interim Superintendent Kristy Vetter said it is the first step in the process of addressing the budget deficit estimated at nearly $12 million.
“This doesn’t deal with the whole scope of the budget or fiscal situation. This is the part that involves our staff and with about 80 percent of the budget that is in staffing, then we can assume that about 80 percent of those reductions will also be in the staffing. This part is hard,” said Vetter.
Vetter said that this is just the first step in the timeline in addressing the budget cuts and there will more issues addressed including programs that will be impacted.
Tabitha Whiting, executive director of human resources for the Centralia School District, provided more details on the resolution to the school board.
“The amount of employees that will be laid off as a result of the approval of this resolution will be 90,” said Whiting. “I thought it was also important for you to know that a total of 138 positions will be affected due to the anticipated deficit which includes those 90 lay-offs in the resolution as well as retirements, resignations, open positions not being filled, employees serving in a different role next year and temporary positions not being filled next year.”
The resolution cites factors such as potential total levy loss, statewide budget pressure due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and decreased enrollment projections as reasons for the budget deficit and subsequent lay-offs.
“We do have a $5.3 million renewal of our expiring EP&O levy on the ballot for August 4. That funding would help significantly reduce the fiscal impact on programs and staffing; however, we would still have a substantial deficit for 2020-21 due to other factors such as enrollment projection and state and federal funding matters that are not yet resolved,” said Vetter in a press release from the district.
Whiting said during the meeting that the resolution is being presented with a heavy heart. The district needed to make a staffing reduction of 70 full-time equivalents (FTE) employees. One FTE is not necessarily equal to one individual — multiple part-time employees need to be laid off in order to meet the requirement of one full-time employee, which is why 90 individuals are being laid off to meet the 70 FTE reduction.
“We’re facing almost a $12 million budget reduction which is an incredibly huge task for this school district. There are going to be lots of reductions in pretty much every area. I think it is good to clarify that our purpose of the meeting tonight is to deal with only the resolution that we have in front of us. The bigger picture budget work is ongoing and will affect pretty much everything that this school district does,” said President of the School Board Lori Fast. “We’re working incrementally here.”
Fast said that even though it was not on the agenda to talk about program cuts on Tuesday night those conversations have been happening.
The district stated in a press release that the affected employees will be notified by May 15 and will continue to work through the end of their current employment agreement.
“For some (employees), that means through the end of August, for others it could mean their employment ends at the end of July,” said Vetter.
There will be a regular school board meeting on Wednesday, May 27 at 5 p.m. and public comments will be accepted until then on the school’s website at www.centralia.k12.wa.us/boardagendas?fbclid=IwAR1HMwx8L6vGaGa8F5EoXBqb5ASYCfcmjSPb8KwxYtjJF_w7VyI-RH-Isw4. At this point that meeting is still scheduled to be virtual but notice will be given if anything changes, Fast said.
