Tigard-Tualatin board authorizes reduction in force as state reimbursements fall short

The Tigard-Tualatin School District Board of Directors on April 6 authorized administration to carry out a reduction in force for administrative, licensed and classified personnel for the 2026-27 school year, saying a recent drop in state reimbursement rates for high-cost special-education services sharply reduced the district's near-term revenue.

Superintendent (unnamed in the record) told the board the district had learned that state high-cost disability reimbursements had fallen from an historical roughly 58 cents on the dollar to about 25 cents on the dollar for the year being reimbursed, creating an estimated $1.2 million shortfall for 2025-26 and a projected $1.5 million gap for 2026-27. The superintendent described a multi-year plan to absorb ESSER sunsetting and declining enrollment pressures but said the timing of the state changes left limited runway.

The board was presented with a staffing plan that reduces licensed positions by a net of about 16.24 FTE (initially 26 reductions offset by roughly 10 additions) and classified positions by a net of about 5.5 FTE (6.75 planned reductions with some add-backs). The administration said most of those reductions are expected to be absorbed through attrition (retirements and voluntary departures), although involuntary notices remain possible depending on bumping and verification steps with associations.

Superintendent and HR explained the procedural timeline included layoff verification meetings with union leadership April 10-14, bumping-list determinations between April 21 and 25, and potential layoff notices to staff by April 30 or May 1. The administration reiterated that bargaining agreements and state law (cited in the meeting as ORS provisions) govern considerations such as seniority and bilingual/cultural expertise when staff are prioritized.

During public comment, Scott Birch, a district data and budget analyst, urged fairer bargaining outcomes for classified staff and warned that percentage-based raises can disadvantage lower-paid employees. Riley Shots, a learning specialist, told the board that staff turnover related to pay had already led co-workers to leave for better-paying jobs and urged action to retain special-education support.

Director Himes moved the authorization and Vice Chair Ervin seconded; the motion carried unanimously. Board members said they preferred structural spending adjustments to one-time measures such as furlough days, which the administration described as temporary and a poor long-term fiscal fix.

The district said the broader plan to bridge the budget gap totals about $5.5 million in savings through staffing changes, contract and partnership adjustments, cost-containment measures and targeted add-backs where revenue-generating programs require capacity. Board members emphasized the decision was difficult but necessary to align staffing to projected revenues.

The board did not adopt additional RIFs that would address the newly reported 2025-26 and 2026-27 reimbursement shortfalls beyond the plan presented at the meeting; the superintendent said the district would continue monitoring state allocations and adjust planning as needed.

What happens next: administration will meet with association leaders for verification and bumping procedures in the coming weeks and will provide written notice to any individual staff members impacted by reductions per the timeline presented at the meeting.