Yakima School Board approves reduction in force; district to notify 97 staff, board cites $6.2 million in savings

The Yakima School Board on April 15 approved Resolution O6.24 0.25, authorizing a proposed reduction in force for program services in the 2025–26 school year. The motion passed on a roll-call vote, 4-0, with Directors Walker, Navarro Jr., Rice and President Beckett voting yes; Vice President Villanueva was excused.

District finance staff told the board the board action would generate about $6.2 million in budget savings and would result in roughly 43 positions being reduced, with 97 employees receiving formal notification. Officials said the proposed staffing impact totals about 47.8 full-time equivalents, described in the presentation as approximately 42.8 certificated FTE and 5 classified FTE.

Why it matters: District leaders said the reductions respond to a multi-year decline in enrollment and ongoing uncertainty in state and federal funding. The board’s action is intended to add modestly to the district’s unreserved fund balance and stabilize monthly cash flow after prior short-term borrowing.

In presenting the resolution, a district finance official said the cuts are painful but necessary. “These are not easy meetings for anybody, particularly those impacted,” the official said. The district cited a nearly 10% enrollment decline since 2017–18 and said staffing levels remain above what enrollment would justify. The finance presentation included a conservative model of legislative and pension funding changes and called for measured adjustments to protect liquidity.

Human resources staff described the timeline and recall process should the board approve the resolution. “If you are on the RIF list, this does not mean your job is lost,” Kim Newell, director of HR for certificated staff, told the room, outlining an in‑building posting period followed by unassigned-pool placement and an extended two‑year recall right for affected employees.

Public comment at the meeting focused heavily on the impact to librarians, classroom supports and student services. A number of speakers asked the board to preserve classroom-facing positions. “That relationship started on the first day of school. It will go all the way through the school year,” said Duff DeWitt, a teacher and YEA bargaining chair, describing the bond between students and a secondary librarian who is slated for reduction.

Board members asked district staff to explain which staffing categories were proposed for reduction and whether nurses, building administrators or paraeducators were affected. District staff said nurses and building administrators were not part of the reductions and that paraeducators were not scheduled for districtwide cuts in this round. The financial presentation said the proposed reductions are concentrated in enrollment-driven certificated staffing at the comprehensive high schools, secondary librarians (four middle schools and two comprehensive high schools), a small set of specialist positions at elementary schools and a five‑FTE classified reduction tied to the district’s online program staffing.

What happens next: District staff said that if the board’s motion took effect, building administrators would deliver RIF letters starting the day after the meeting; in‑building postings for any eliminated positions would then be open for three days to allow current staff to apply. The district will move through an internal reassignments process before executing recalls. Staff said they expect resignations and retirements during the summer to reduce actual impacts and that they had recalled most staff affected by last year’s reductions.

The board and administration framed the decision as one made amid significant fiscal uncertainty. The district’s presentation listed federal ESSER and other pandemic-era funding that previously reduced the need for general-fund spending on technology and staffing; the presenter said those funding streams have largely ended. Officials listed major revenue risks still unresolved at the state and federal level, including levy equalization, pension contribution rates and material/supply funding (MSOCs).

Ending note: The district indicated it would update the board if legislative action materially changes the revenue outlook and could reduce the need for some of the proposed reductions. For now, board members approved the resolution to begin the formal RIF and recall process and to implement the staffing reductions outlined in the documents provided to the board.