School closure may not be enough to fix Shoreline’s budget crisis

On Monday September 23, Shoreline School District Superintendent Susana Reyes met with members of the community to discuss the district’s budget crisis.

On Monday September 23, Shoreline School District Superintendent Susana Reyes met with members of the community to discuss the district’s budget crisis.

Like other school districts across the state, Shoreline’s school district is facing a budget emergency. The district says costs will exceed revenues by over $4 million this year and without action, that budget shortfall could exceed $9 million dollars in four years.

A graph from Superintendent Reyes’ presentation shows the district could enter “binding conditions” without budget cutsEarlier this year, the district assembled the School Capacity Review and Closure Consideration committee to recommend  whether or not to close one of the district’s ten elementary schools and if so, which one. The final decision will be up to the elected School Board and Superintendent Dr. Susana Reyes.

In June, the task force selected four schools for final closure consideration (Brookside, Echo Lake, Highland Terrace, and Syre elementary schools) and is expected to make a final recommendation soon.

According to the district, closing a school would save $1.2 to $1.3 million per year, but with employee compensation accounting for 87% of the district’s $182 million budget, shuttering one elementary will likely be necessary but insufficient to fix the budget gap.

The district has already made labor cuts - eliminating some non-classroom positions such as office staff, library techs, family advocates, custodians, and maintenance staff. And in 2022, the teacher’s union agreed to a two-year concession that reduced pay and allowed larger class sizes.

Despite the McCleary decision, in which the state Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to increase funding for schools, Washington still lags behind other states in adequately funding K-12 eduction. According to School Financial Data, relative to Washington’s economic output, the state spends less to fund public schools than the national average.

A November ballot measure (2109) if approved by voters would repeal the state’s capital gains tax, which collects up to $500 million per year for schools.

The public can attend online community budget meetings on September 26 and October 1. The School Capacity Review and Closure Consideration committee meets monthly and the public can attend regular School Board Meetings on Tuesdays.

Parents can join their school’s PTA and advocate for legislative change.

The local chapter of the Washington Eduction Association will host a Town Hall on the funding crisis in the Edmonds, Northshore, and Shoreline school districts on October 23.

A graph from Superintendent Reyes’ presentation shows student enrollment numbers are expected to continue to decline