Local school district tells 40 staff members they will see reductions in hours and pay

Aspen Shumpert
·2 min read

Peninsula School District officials have identified which staff positions will face cuts next school year to address a projected $12 million budget deficit.

School district officials and union representatives reviewed the district’s 2023-2024 budget, after discovering they won’t receive as much funding as they thought.

The district notified 40 positions on Friday, March 31, of reductions to their jobs.

“Many of the reductions will happen through attrition due to resignations, retirements, staff reassignments, and reduction of days and hours worked,” Danielle Chastaine told the Gateway Thursday.

The positions include “classified and non-represented district office and building level staffing,” the district said in a press release.

The district would not comment on which specific roles were affected, Chastaine said Friday.

It’s unclear how many of the 40 positions were already vacant.

“Non-represented positions are positions in the district that are not represented by a union,” Chastaine added. “Classified positions have union representation, but do not require a certification (such as a teaching certification) for employment.”

According to the district website, classified and non-represented positions include:

  • Non-represented employees - executive assistants, aquatics manager, transportation dispatcher, etc.

  • Clerical and Instructional Support positions - paraeducators, library specialists, speech language specialists, attendance specialists, office secretaries, etc.

  • Custodial Unit positions

  • Information Technology staff

“PSD’s goal is to keep any necessary reductions as far from the classrooms as possible, while also prioritizing levy-promised staffing and programs,” Chastaine said.

It does not appear program cuts have been made at this time.

When asked how the reductions will affect school day routines, Chastaine said: “The decisions about where to make reductions are difficult, but our goal is to make sure day-to-day routines for our students and classroom staff are impacted as little as possible.”

With the combination of enrollment numbers down by 500 students and the district not receiving specific grants they did in the past, the district estimated a $12 million budget deficit if they maintained current staffing and program levels. The enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year is 8,837 full-time equivalent students, the Gateway previously reported. The 2019 pre-pandemic enrollment was 9,259 students.

“School districts across our state are funded primarily based on enrollment and are also having to make similar adjustments to their budget,” Peninsula School Board President Natalie Wimberley said in the press release. “Increasing costs, such as transportation, and recent legislative changes have further impacted education funding.”

Public School Employees of Washington is one of the unions the district worked with to make reduction decisions.

Travis Tingvall, spokesperson for the union, told the Gateway Monday that the union did not have any comment.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.