$22 Million In Cuts For Issaquah Schools Amid Enrollment Decline

ISSAQUAH, WA — Just as more students return to the classroom, the Issaquah School Board this week moved forward with significant budget cut plans as the district navigates a continued decline in enrollment.

In a message shared Thursday, the district pointed to a projected 8.1 percent drop in student enrollment from 2020 to 2022, and a budget deficit above $36 million. Since the last school year, the district's student population shrunk from 20,234 to 19,054. Officials expect to shed another 600 students in 2022.

"Because school districts receive funding from the state on a per-student basis, this means a reduction in our district's operating budget," officials wrote Thursday. "We have also faced unexpected and additional costs of dealing with the pandemic. We have been able to manage these unexpected costs and reduction this year by using budget reserves held over from previous years, but those reserves have been and will continue to be diminished."

The $22 million outlined in the school board's reduction plan will allow the district to stay "financially solvent" in a scenario where the state does not step in to provide significant funding, officials said. The board's plan shows reductions for the front office, paraeducators and administrators, including deans, counselors and coaches.

Here are the potential cuts:

According to KING 5, up to 300 district employees could be impacted by the layoffs. Without an increase in enrollment or substantial help, the district said the list likely represents just the first round of significant cuts it will face.

"We are genuinely saddened by the prospect of reducing our services to students and staff, but remain optimistic about our district and community’s future," district officials wrote. "We believe that as we continue to focus on a full return to in-person learning for the fall and as more of our citizens become fully immunized against COVID-19 we will see an increase in our enrollment. An increase in enrollment will also increase our revenues allowing us to restore some of these painful reductions over time."

Read the Issaquah School District's full statement and review the complete layoff plan online.