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Vashon school board previews $1.3 million cuts, public and board spar over counselors, library and athletics
Summary
District leaders presented a plan to close an estimated $1.3 million budget gap that would reduce roughly 6.7 FTE and trim specialists, tier-2 supports and some classified roles; teachers, parents and health partners urged protecting counselors and student-facing services while several board members pressed for admin-level savings.
The Vashon Island School District on Thursday presented a list of proposed program reductions to close an estimated $1.3 million deficit, prompting strong public pleas to spare counselors and other student-facing staff and a board debate over whether to pursue administrative cuts instead.
District leaders told the board that lower enrollment (about 1,399 students, roughly 65 fewer than six years ago) and rising costs left a gap the district could no longer absorb through attrition. “We presented at the last board meeting that we knew that we were going to be in a deficit of $1,300,000,” the district presenter said as the administration walked trustees through Exhibit A, a staffing-and-program reduction list built to bring the budget back into balance.
Why it matters: The reductions target specialists, tier-2 intervention supports and some classified and central-office time. Staff said the plan as presented…
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