Facing Fewer State Dollars, Issaquah School Board Cuts $2.74 Million Which Includes 36 Teaching Jobs

The voted Wednesday evening to trim $2.74 million from its 2011-12 academic year, given the state budget shortfall which is almost guaranteed to send fewer dollars to the district. 

But the cut includes the jobs of 36 district teachers who have just about one year of experience - something that board directors and administrators acknowledged as painful.

"We don't look at this as just numbers," Jan Woldseth Colbrese, board president, said at the meeting. "We consider this to be the worst-case scenario."

Just how many teachers at district schools in Sammamish will be affected by the reduction was unknown Wednesday, Phyllis Runyon, president of the Issaquah Education Association, said.

While there is a list with the names of teachers who might be affected, Runyon said the job losses and their impact on district schools in Sammamish also depend on staffing plans.

"Every classroom, every school is going to have fewer teachers. We are expecting another increase in student population in the fall," she said after the vote. "That means our class sizes will be increased."

The district's contract with teachers requires that if any job cut - or reduction in force - is anticipated, the board needed to inform the Issaquah Education Association, which is the teachers' union, by Wednesday.

The teachers who are on the list will be notified by letter by May 15, as state law requires. But those teachers have the right to appeal and those cases are often handled by a hearing officer, Runyon said.

"It is a process that we encourage each and every one of them to follow," she said.

The union, though, will help teachers who have lost their jobs learn more about unemployment insurance and health benefit options, she added.

In a Wednesday letter to district employees, Superintendent Steve Rasmussen outlined his rationale behind the $2.74 million in cuts.

"The financial plan focuses on my most critical job as Superintendent: Ensuring that students are meeting our Mission and End learning goals by providing a balanced educational experience while keeping the District solvent," he wrote.

The district reported that 85 percent of all costs are tied to staff salaries.

What is causing this dollar cut and the possible loss of 36 teaching jobs is the unresolved state budget. The Great Recession caused public sources of money to dry up and state lawmakers are facing a more than $5 billion budget shortfall.

They began a special legislative session on Sunday to find common ground among the proposals from the state House, state Senate and governor's office.

Still, Issaquah school officials said the impact on the district of those budget proposals could range from about $3.5 million with the House proposal to about $5 million under the Senate plan. 

The Senate plan received sharp criticism by officials in the Issaquah and school districts.

"The next step is really what the state Legislature is going to do," Jake Kuper, district finance chief, said.

"We really can't enter into contractual obligations, employment contracts without knowing the revenue level."

The Issaquah Education Association maintains that there's about $15.9 million in district reserve funds - and that those dollars should be used to avoid job cuts.

Kuper said that amount is about $12 million and that the school board requires a certain percentage of the total budget be maintained in the reserve fund.

Runyon pointed to the possibility that more money can be found and that the teachers who will receive their job loss notices can return to the classroom. 

"We hope that the state budget comes through. We hope it's not as devastating as we anticipate," she said. "We hope we can recall." 

Editor's note: The Issaquah School District said that 51 employees are not guaranteed employment under this plan. But the district counted 15 employees as not continuing in their jobs. The remaining number of teachers who need to be formally notified of a job cut is 36. The district has posted more budget information on its website.