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Board hears CTE leaders describe budget shortfall, one‑year contract arrangements
Summary
Career & Technical Education staff told the board the program exceeded its budget last year by about $35,000 and faces a roughly $200,000 gap driven largely by salary and benefit levels; board discussed enrollment, cross‑crediting and supply‑cost pressures and asked for continued planning and monitoring.
Diane Hodges, presenting for Career & Technical Education (CTE), told the Pullman School District board the program must live within its own budget and that last year CTE was overspent by roughly $35,000. Hodges said salary and benefit costs for experienced CTE staff are a major driver and estimated a roughly $200,000 difference between staffing costs and state allocations for the program.
Hodges explained staffing and contract arrangements: some teachers hold continuing contracts (for example, a 0.8 FTE continuing contract) alongside a one‑year 0.2 FTE contract to meet specific program needs. She said there had been questions and concern from board members about why affected teachers were not informed earlier that certain positions would be carried as one‑year appointments. “We did have a few teachers who were on 1 year only contract… they also had a continuing contract,” Hodges said, describing how those arrangements work in practice.
Board members pressed for more clarity on timing, communication and enrollment trends. Staff noted the high school’s largest cohort (261 seniors graduating) contrasts with an incoming freshman class of about 210, forecasting a drop of roughly 50–60 high‑school students next year that could reduce CTE enrollment and funding tied to per‑student formulas. Proposed responses include increased outreach, cross‑crediting options (for example, pairing CTE coursework with math or other credits), timing purchases more intentionally to match confirmed funding, and periodic review sessions to track CTE enrollment and expenditures.
No formal action was taken; the board asked staff to continue working with CTE teachers and return with enrollment and budget monitoring updates.
