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Teachers, parents urge Marshall school board to pause cuts after referendum defeats
Summary
At a packed public forum, teachers, parents and community members urged the Marshall Public School District board to reconsider planned staff reductions after two failed referendums, citing harm to students, the potential to save $1.5 million through an MEA retirement proposal, and a request for clearer rationales from the board.
Speakers at Marshall Public School District’s board meeting pressed trustees to revisit proposed budget cuts after voters rejected two recent referendums.
Rick Purrington, president of the Marshall Education Association, told the board dozens of educators face termination or nonrenewal and said the reductions “disproportionately impact teachers and classroom aids” while district office staffing appears protected. He said the MEA had proposed a retirement package that could save the district $1,500,000 over five years and urged Superintendent Williams to pursue OPEB funding and to revisit the budget once the state funding forecast is released.
Other teachers and residents gave similar testimony. Donna Van Tulin, head coach of the speech program, said eliminating the junior-high coach stipend and limiting smaller-tournament participation “limit the experiences of our younger students” at a key stage in development and asked the board to avoid further reductions to the program. Anita Gall, a parent and volunteer, asked the board to “run a fine-tooth comb” through noninstructional expenditures to preserve positions that work directly with students.
Multiple speakers tied the budget choices to community trust. Emily Dorschner, an eighth-grade language arts teacher, and Dan Smith, a teacher and MEA negotiator, urged the board to solicit input, listen to suggestions and pause before making cuts that will affect students and families.
The board heard several budget figures during the meeting: a finance committee report cited an expected general fund deficit of a little over $2,000,000 and noted 26 positions would be reduced following the failed referendum. The committee also cited an anticipated state funding cap near 3% and a rise in the Teachers Retirement Association employer contribution to 9.81% from 8.75%.
Speakers repeatedly asked the board to explain the decision-making process and to share the options considered so community members can communicate those reasons in future referendum campaigns.
The public comment period concluded with the chair thanking speakers; the board did not respond during public comment.
