Superintendent warns of $15 million draft cuts as enrollment falls

Superintendent Dr. Kathy Ludwig opened the meeting with a budget-focused report, telling the board the district is facing a sustained decline in enrollment and costs that are outpacing state funding. She said statewide K–12 enrollment has fallen by roughly 35,000 students since 2019 and that West Linn–Wilsonville is nearly 900 students below its pre‑COVID level, putting material downward pressure on per‑student revenue.

"This draft is preliminary," Ludwig said, urging reporters and community members to treat the proposal as an early plan rather than a final decision. She emphasized the governor can propose but not enact budgets and that the Ways and Means Committee may alter the recommended 11,360,000,000 biennium figure. Ludwig told the board staff are modeling a range of responses and that the district is planning for a possible $15,000,000 reduction next year while continuing advocacy for increased state funding.

Why it matters: Ludwig tied the shortfall to multiple drivers — falling enrollment, grant supplanting of general fund dollars, and rapidly rising retirement (PERS) and benefits costs — and framed the choices as tradeoffs between district-level cuts and classroom impacts. She said the district will refine reductions as legislative allocations and other revenues firm up in the coming months and invited board direction before staff finalize specifics for potential action.