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District staff member: Levy loss forced cuts to librarians, electives and family outreach
Summary
A district staff member told the meeting that recent loss of levy funding has forced Yelm Community Schools to eliminate elementary librarians and fifth-grade band, cut middle- and high-school electives and College-in-the-High-School supports, reduce career-technical and afterschool programming, and scale back family engagement and staff training.
A district staff member said the district has scaled back programs across Yelm Community Schools after losing levy funding, eliminating positions and student opportunities that officials say support learning and family engagement.
"We've lost elementary librarians and our fifth grade band program," the staff member said, listing cuts that have reduced enrichment and foundational-skill supports at the elementary level. The presenter said Advanced Academics options and programs that provide small-group instruction, tutoring and counseling have also been reduced.
At the middle-school level, the presenter said electives such as choir, yearbook and computer science have been eliminated, removing courses where many students "discover their talents, develop their passions and build confidence," the staff member said.
The presenter said high school reductions include fewer College-in-the-High-School courses and reduced support for the AADTA program, noting "we no longer have an adult who can help [students] navigate that process." Career and Technical Education programming was described as scaled back "in significant ways," and afterschool activities including drama have been cut.
The staff member attributed many of those losses directly to losing levy funding and said the district has had to make difficult trade-offs. "Many of those we've lost as a result of of losing Levy funding," the presenter said.
The speaker said school–family connections have been affected as well: districtwide open houses and kindergarten orientation were canceled and parent–teacher conferences now have shorter windows, limiting routine touchpoints that help families stay involved.
The presenter also described effects on staff: new-employee orientation was eliminated and professional-development opportunities were limited, leaving teachers with fewer resources to support students. The presenter referenced remarks from earlier in the meeting by "Shannon" and "Chris" when summarizing staff impacts.
The presenter closed by framing the cuts as unwelcome and far-reaching, and thanked attendees while urging a collective effort to support students' futures.
The remarks occurred during a single presentation segment (SEG 001–SEG 027) and did not include a vote or formal action on the record.
