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Issaquah School District outlines $16 million in planned savings as enrollment falls about 1,400 students
Summary
District finance staff told the board the district has lost roughly 1,400 students since 2023–24, projecting fund‑balance pressure and identifying about $16 million in cost savings for 2026–27 (roughly $12 million staffing, $3.2 million central office reductions and other adjustments). The plan includes staffing adjustments by attrition, potential non‑renewals and an estimated loss of about 35 classroom sections.
Issaquah School District finance leaders told the school board April 9 that falling enrollment and rising costs require immediate budget adjustments for 2026–27.
Chief of Finance and Operations Martin Turney and Mariah Benesik, executive director of finance and budget, said the district has seen a decline of roughly 1,400 students since 2023–24 and that the general‑fund balance will drop by more than 30% without action. Benesik said leaders have identified roughly $16 million in cost savings for the coming year to stabilize the fund balance.
"Part of that is having $16 million in cost savings," Benesik said. She described the $16 million as mostly staffing reductions (about $12 million) with roughly $3.2 million tied to a planned reduction of about 20 central‑office FTE and the remainder in non‑staffing adjustments. The district estimates about 53 FTE reductions at the school level (equivalent to about a 4% reduction of school‑based staffing) and the loss of roughly 35 classroom sections for 2026–27 unless enrollment rebounds.
Turney framed the choices as timing and alignment decisions: the district will emphasize attrition, careful use of contract non‑renewals, and delaying new hires until students are verified so staffing can better match actual fall enrollment. He and Benesik said the district also intends to preserve voter‑approved levy programs where possible and continue multi‑year financial projections to guide future decisions.
The administration warned of a recent state cut to transition‑to‑kindergarten (TTK) funding that will reduce Issaquah’s funded spots from 74 to 20 and create a roughly $700,000 gap; the district said it will continue to operate five TTK classrooms for 2026–27 but that the funding change will pressure future budgets.
Board members asked about workload impacts and how the district will monitor instructional quality as staff numbers change. The administration said it will coordinate closely with union partners, principals and building leaders, and report back on enrollments and fund‑balance forecasts at the June meeting and again during August budget hearings.
Next steps: the district will finalize FY26–27 staffing and program proposals, present updated enrollment and fund‑balance projections in June, and bring a budget to the board for adoption in August.
