Cannon Beach Academy asks Seaside to consider higher operating share to retain staff

Cannon Beach Academy representatives presented a set of proposed amendments and said they want the district to negotiate higher support for operating funds, particularly to improve teacher pay and retention. A presenter for the academy said the amendment positions "represent the approaches that I think we can collectively... work on together" and framed the increase as necessary to "ensure we have the operating funds that we need to continue to support our teachers and the students throughout the school year." (Presenter, S2)

Board members and district staff pressed for clarity about what the 80/20 split means in practice. The district staff explained that the district pays the academy 80% of the state-calculated per-student amount under the current agreement and that the additional 20% is not remitted to the district by the state but would need to be covered from other local sources or fundraising. One board member summarized the difficulty: the request is "tough for us" because it represents a material shortfall against existing local budgets and could require trade-offs or additional fundraising.

The parties discussed examples of services that historically justified higher allocations (transportation, specialized services) and acknowledged that some services previously available to the academy had been reduced since the charter's creation. Several board members said the district may consider the request but could not commit to immediate changes; they instructed staff and academy representatives to return with detailed budget scenarios for further review.