By Doug Barker

The Daily World

Facing a $6.3 million shortfall for next school year, the Aberdeen School District will cut the equivalent of 46 teaching positions, and it still has to find another $2 million in cuts. Most of that is likely to fall on the support staff, which would include para-educators who help in the classrooms.

That will leave 168 teachers in the district. The cuts are due to expected reductions in state funding because of COVID-19 expenses and because of falling enrollment in the Aberdeen district, some of that also likely due to COVID-19. If enrollment bounces back and/or other funding sources aren’t hit as hard as district officials fear, it’s possible that some teachers will be offered contracts later, but district Superintendent Alicia Henderson said all the budget cues they get from the state say to budget conservatively.

“Our state is entering an unprecedented period of budget uncertainty, and our district needs to do everything it can to build capacity for what is likely to be state cuts,” Henderson said. “The only thing the state is constitutionally required to do is fund basic education, which includes the prototypical model, plus special education, bilingual students, Highly Capable and the Learning Assistance Program (LAP).”

One problem is that schools have to offer contracts to teachers by May 15 so teachers can make plans for the coming year, but even in a normal year the state doesn’t tell districts how much money they will receive until June, and it’s bound to be more complicated this year.

Forty-one of the teachers who didn’t get contracts are untenured, known as provisional because they haven’t had three years of teaching experience, or they are experienced but are only in their first year with the Aberdeen district.

The orchestra teacher is in that group, putting that program in peril. Head football coach Todd Bridge is a veteran teacher, but in his first year in the district and his teaching contract wasn’t renewed. Coaching contracts are separate, but fall sports are up in the air because of the pandemic.

Nineteen veteran teachers are being asked to move into new positions to backfill for the provisional teachers. But some veteran teachers didn’t have certification matching the classroom needs and that means a cut of another 5.3 positions. The cuts also include the equivalent of 2.7 administrative positions.

The net loss of teachers and administrators is 49. Central Park will have a half-time principal. Derek Cook, principal at Harbor High School, will split time between there and being athletic director at Aberdeen High. All remaining Harbor High teachers will also teach at the high school.

The district cut 40 employees last year, teachers and non-certified employees, but it didn’t affect programs. Not so, this year.

“Unfortunately, we’re not able to find the $6.3 million for next year without impacting programs,” Henderson said.

The district briefing material says cuts this school year were born mostly by the elementary schools, but next year’s will affect the secondary schools more greatly.

Henderson said reductions will be noticeable in career and technical programs, elementary music and the orchestra. Not renewing provisional contracts affects culinary arts at the high school, the orchestra program leaves the medical careers instructor position unfilled at least for now.

Even before the pandemic, enrollment declines meant the district was looking for about $2 million in cuts and layoffs were likely. Most of the district’s revenue is based on enrollment. The district’s budget for the current year was based on enrollment of 3,290. In March, the number was 50 under that. Now that schools are closed, it has gone lower and district officials say they are pushing hard to make contact with families to get an accurate count, but they expect the number to go even lower in the fall. They’re budgeting for 3,000 students.

Henderson said it would be irresponsible to budget for students the district has lost contact with this spring “unless the state is willing to use a ‘hold harmless’ number and allow the district to carry forward this year’s enrollment.”

In a briefing paper, the state said funding no longer covers the cost of teacher salaries, with a gap of $18,576 per teacher. That means teachers will now be partially funded by a combination of state, federal and local levy dollars.

Federal CARES Act funding won’t go very far. Henderson said the state’s 294 school districts will split $210 million, based on size.

The superintendent said even with the cuts, the district will provide quality education and a wide range of programs.

“We have some amazing teachers,” she said. “This is a time for us to be innovative and provide the best education possible while remaining committed to continuous improvement. We are trimming due to the current necessity but we will continue to educate our students at a high level. I envision our staff growing and coming together in new ways.”