[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6225044,"mediaKeyId","3541256-6863b4f02fdae7f47b287980d76010b4","parentId",3541256,"title","Pasco School Board directs staff to seek budget extension, reduce mandated reserve to 2.5% to close $6.9M shortfall","audioSeconds",2302,"startMs",1911000,"endMs",4213000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3541256-6863b4f02fdae7f47b287980d76010b4&start=1911&end=4213","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3541256-6863b4f02fdae7f47b287980d76010b4/thumbnail_1911000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6225044/Washington/Pasco-School-Board-directs-staff-to-seek-budget-extension-reduce-mandated-reserve-to-25-to-close-69M-shortfall","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6225044-df154080a5c48667bca925f9600b368d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770695491&Signature=LMsBQQ866Le6~C~0r4JB0M-EsS2IDhRsa8TLCbkgkRHKt6dIiEmsB3g4AVPauwBJYZpVhnFSZSyZbK8xkFvsP03UkEfC-TvG5zi2xk~Wtkvo4v9kzuFt8ocpxcp979reNd7lSYlON~2szeb01fGuMaooUaydmH5vZ8N8J~at5OaFjuj13Jg0vSJ0EZs6dQEXAqKw1fnDFRvAzPUJl-pMU6y342OZpAv89simUq-fgSh9uNCeVrNzN56jhpdkSDvbZXbP7eUYd2ifPq50g5tc0dqPbTcu7i75JqXB6MXKtGj8x13lHOEDQWm062mqszohmC6cQ88jRcJasaz5rao7Hg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Pasco School District, WA","date","2025-05-28T00:19:02Z","article","The Pasco School Board on Tuesday gave district staff informal direction to begin paperwork to reduce the board-mandated fund balance requirement from 5% to 2.5% and to pursue a budget extension to close an estimated $6,900,000 shortfall for the 2024–25 fiscal year.

District staff presented the proposal during the board’s budget closeout update. Dr. Castilleja, the district staff member leading the budget presentation, said the district projects a $6.9 million deficit and that the board’s $24.2 million budgeted fund balance currently includes a $16.5 million board-mandated 5% reserve and $7.8 million in designated assignments. “The staff is requesting [the] board mandated fund balance requirement from 5% to 2.5%, and get us working on initiating the budget extension process,” Dr. Castilleja said.

The nut graph: The reduction is temporary, district staff said, and would be coupled with a multi-year plan that relies chiefly on natural attrition to lower staffing costs by about $4–5 million per year. The district must secure approval from the regional Educational Service District (ESD) and the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and hold a public hearing before the board can adopt a formal resolution to extend the budget.

District staff described the mechanics and timeline. Staff said the district will begin required paperwork immediately, submit the extension documentation to the ESD for review and then to OSPI for approval, and hold the required public hearing at the June 24 board meeting. If approved, staff would implement the reduced reserve for closeout of 2024–25 and embed the approach into the planning for 2025–26.

Board members voiced support but characterized the direction as informal. Vice President Steve Simmons moved to “provide an extension to reduce the board mandated fund balance requirement from 5% to 2.5% and initiate the budget extension process”; Board President Amanda Brown said a formal motion was not necessary and treated members’ statements of support as the board’s direction. Several directors said they favored the approach because it preserves jobs relative to alternative uses of the designated funds. Director John Kennedy said he hoped the district could restore the 5% reserve as soon as feasible.

District staff outlined the illustrative multi-year strategy: keep the $7.8 million in designated assignments intact, lower the mandated reserve to 2.5% for up to three budget cycles while pursuing $4–5 million per year in staffing reductions through attrition, reassess annually, and return to a 5% reserve when conditions allow. The district estimated cumulative reductions of roughly $10–15 million over multiple years under the model, but emphasized those figures were illustrative and dependent on revenues, grants, and expenditure changes.

Board members emphasized communication and noted that staff already had started outreach. Superintendent Whitney later confirmed staff had shared an internal message and a family/community communication about the district’s budget outlook and that additional public meetings are planned.

No formal vote was taken Tuesday; instead the board provided staff direction to prepare the budget-extension materials, advertise and hold a public hearing on June 24, and bring a resolution for board consideration. Dr. Castilleja told the board, “We will get started tomorrow.”

Looking ahead, staff said the 2025–26 budget will use a conservative enrollment estimate and that the board will see the proposed 2025–26 budget and the required adoption materials in July, with OSPI submission following board adoption.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","May 27, 2025 | Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Pasco School Board on Tuesday gave district staff informal direction to begin paperwork to reduce the board-mandated fund balance requirement from 5% to 2.5% and to pursue a budget extension to close an estimated $6,900,000 shortfall for the 2024–25 fiscal year.","taxTitle","Pasco School District, School Districts, Washington","taxId",14815,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6225035,"McLaughlin teacher says she was involuntarily reassigned; files grievance and asks board to intervene",146,1306000,1452000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3541256-6863b4f02fdae7f47b287980d76010b4&start=1306&end=1452","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3541256-6863b4f02fdae7f47b287980d76010b4/thumbnail_1306000.jpg","/articles/6225035/Washington/McLaughlin-teacher-says-she-was-involuntarily-reassigned-files-grievance-and-asks-board-to-intervene","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6225035-d9b197f6462d5666422dc2d46f113e74/orig.mp4?Expires=1770695491&Signature=iaV7rEIeKhUn2YH3ILshURHtD4yJxQZN1tnM4O0QZpNI4bxaGiwB22gpGwAVEQeUQ6gxCwKAQXVeAU-FGYTHdeQYqn~jZ~hPm3YlWA2epj1-xmDiUHHoPUP8KKw2iHKm7EQSgxaQcPtdZFZ1WLspXfaQwv7-QI7pLHb3lIbfJRcNdJXuGBsRSgqX98L4zZmmsobnmyyi0BfwKDNpBn12MFPZgOgj4oDtlfdHedLeraHX7bkYpcw32DEIUSfy~F4H50ZLzrULhxefs6lyv8u-ljqKe5VBM0oFBLe6kzhml1QK7zsdqLdN2hg-jTIvSvpeVnU~-BlIUpRrLRVHzmaZag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Nicole Stewart, a McLaughlin Middle School math teacher, used public comment time at Tuesday’s Pasco School Board meeting to describe an involuntary reassignment to special education that she said occurred without consultation and to report she has filed a grievance.

“I was called into a meeting and told I was being sent back to SPED,” Stewart told the board. She said she began her career in special education eight years ago but later earned a middle-level math endorsement, obtained a middle school math position after two years of openings, and “I am in love with it.” She said the math role at her school remains open, that she is qualified for it, and “I’m not allowed to apply for it.”

Stewart described personal and professional impacts of the reassignment and said she has followed the district grievance procedure. “I filed a grievance, and I'm following the procedure,” she told the board, and later added, “I teach math, and I'd like my job back, please.”

The nut graf: Stewart said she was notified of the reassignment on May 13, that she had invested in professional growth (including pursuing a master’s degree), and that the reassignment occurred without “a conversation about my needs as a person or a teacher.” She asked the board to consider the human impact of staffing decisions and urged that the district “make this right.”

Board members responded to the comment with expressions of appreciation for her courage in speaking; the meeting record does not show any immediate board action or formal response to the grievance during the public-comment period. Stewart said she is pursuing the formal grievance steps but asked the board to hear her concerns in person.

No board motion or vote addressing the reassignment was recorded in Tuesday’s meeting minutes. The board’s public-comment rules and the transcript show Stewart’s remarks were part of the meeting’s public-comment segment; any personnel actions or grievance outcomes would be governed by district human-resources procedures and relevant collective-bargaining agreements, and were not resolved on the dais.","Nicole Stewart, a math teacher at McLaughlin Middle School, told the Pasco School Board she was involuntarily reassigned to special education without prior discussion and has filed a grievance seeking reinstatement to her middle-level math position.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6225040,"Pasco board weighs shorter replacement levy; asks staff to prepare 2- and 3-year scenarios",1187,4159000,5346000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3541256-6863b4f02fdae7f47b287980d76010b4&start=4159&end=5346","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3541256-6863b4f02fdae7f47b287980d76010b4/thumbnail_4159000.jpg","/articles/6225040/Washington/Pasco-board-weighs-shorter-replacement-levy-asks-staff-to-prepare-2-and-3-year-scenarios","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6225040-e8bac4d29a9d3ec7d1f368e726a3f2fb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770693456&Signature=VzFpRcAvNNOu1dAxio5jzIuT-RoFYHMLzCJA6c1eg2FdWplwHKC~5vEuKRj9mO-je89bggJ0W2Qu8epRcOBFcfmDN~~MKzZ1aR0n4n8wjdEihwJbEyUCmW-BSZjtdJn7ueAUMS7FyCMbx2Lm56ith1opHSlbrg84yQu63w5TdL3nA7a8GoJhtHXb6paSoMlS0GKOFDmpjQm-IWt4wF9iBtyYfcSoJxkGiRiMlpBr1a1hb02TdgMYaI0d2XjcYU4W~UlvTJuSTSOAQtlNAk-uuufGmyQUiy~SmmAJWzkPs7O-i~-p0We2qjG-BlMH8LFzmVcRvj157bFwz93M1nYDwA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Pasco School Board on Tuesday discussed options for its replacement levy and directed district staff to prepare scenarios for two- and three-year levies rather than a four-year package, citing uncertain real-estate assessed-value growth and the need to manage local tax rates.

Dr. Castilleja, the district staff member leading the levy briefing, reviewed the levy’s recent history and explained the role of state levy equalization (LEA). “We must have a voter approved levy of at least $1.5 to receive the LEA,” Dr. Castilleja said, noting that the district expects to collect about $34,100,000 in levy dollars next year and that the state will add roughly $15,000,000 in LEA funds if thresholds are met.

The nut graf: Board members said market uncertainty following a slowdown in assessed-value growth makes a four-year levy less prudent. Multiple directors suggested preparing shorter-term options; Vice President Steve Simmons and Director Phillips explicitly urged staff to model two- and three-year replacement levies so the board can decide later in the fall once assessed values are clearer.

Dr. Castilleja walked the board through assessed-value and levy-rate history: the district’s levy amount and the corresponding cost-per-thousand have shifted with strong assessed-value growth in prior years and a correction in 2025 that raised the district’s cost per thousand to about $1.89. Staff emphasized the trade-off that voters approve the overall levy amount while property assessed values determine the annual cost per thousand.

Board members discussed timing and next steps. The board will receive more detailed financial modeling in August from the district’s finance partners (including bond advisors) and is slated to decide levy amounts and term in October. If the board sets a levy resolution in November it will also appoint the required pro/con committee for voter information materials. Several board members said they prefer a shorter term to preserve flexibility and to avoid surprising taxpayers; Director Ken (first name not stated) proposed preparing both 2- and 3-year scenarios to maintain options.

No formal vote was taken. Staff agreed to prepare two- and three-year replacement levy scenarios and to present more detailed rate and revenue modeling at upcoming study sessions so the board can make a final decision by the fall schedule.","Board members signaled support for a shorter-term replacement levy amid uncertain assessed-value growth and directed staff to prepare two- and three-year levy scenarios to preserve levy-equalization funds while managing tax-rate volatility.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Pasco School Board directs staff to seek budget extension, reduce mandated reserve to 2.5% to close $6.9M shortfall

McLaughlin teacher says she was involuntarily reassigned; files grievance and asks board to intervene

Pasco board weighs shorter replacement levy; asks staff to prepare 2- and 3-year scenarios