Despite the historic $10.2 billion State School Fund passed last year, school districts across Oregon face budget cuts — including in West Linn and Wilsonville.
West Linn-Wilsonville Superintendent Kathy Ludwig presented the annual budget message and 2024-25 budget proposal at the School Board meeting on Monday, May 6.
The proposed budget for the 2024-25 school year reflects the $10 million in budget cuts and staff reductions that were announced last week by the district.
These staff reductions include 12 primary classroom teachers, three mentor teachers, two primary school literacy coaches, two middle school teachers on special assignment and two career connections staff members. The district is also reducing its number of teacher-librarian positions from 13 to 6.5, with K-8 librarians each working at two schools.
During the public comment section of the Monday meeting, many teachers and teacher-librarians spoke on the negative impacts that the staff reductions would have on students.
Next school year’s proposed school district budget totals $276,577,298, spread across the general fund, special revenue fund, debt services fund and capital projects fund. In Oregon, public schools are mainly funded by the State School Fund — an allocation of $10.2 billion over the next two years — and formulated to achieve equal per-student funding across the state. Student enrollment is a weighted factor in the SSF formula, as well as local property tax revenue.
According to the proposed budget, SSF revenue represents 48% of the general fund budget, property taxes represent 35% and local option taxes represent 10%. In West Linn-Wilsonville, the local option levy taxes are $1.50 per $1000 of assessed value.
Most of the district’s budget is represented in the general fund, which includes salaries, payroll, contingencies, purchased services, supplies and materials.
Last year, Ludwig noted that the district would “expend a large portion of our ending-fund-balance from 2022-2023 (reserve) in order to roll forward our current service level,” during the annual budget message. This proved to be true, and now the district is making hard cuts to accommodate.
The difference in the proposed budget between revenues and expenditures is short $14,714,802.
The budget message and budget executive summary cite increased costs and falling enrollment as two factors for the necessary reductions. The district said that since the 2019-20 school year, enrollment has decreased by 700 students.
“It is imperative to restate that an outdated State School Fund calculation method and subsequent inadequate K-12 school funding allocations cannot continue in Oregon. Reductions across the state have occurred last year, this year and will occur next year unless there is collective voice, advocacy and courageous commitment by state leaders, state legislators and the Governor’s Office,” Ludwig said in the budget message.
The first meeting and work session for the budget committee is Monday, May 20. Three weeks later, on Monday, June 10, the committee will present its approved budget to the school board for the budget hearing and adoption meeting.
“Making reductions in a school district is hard, complicated and always impacts members of the school community. We recognize that some of our valued staff will have lost positions in our district after devoting considerable talent, time, heart, soul and passion. We are indebted and grateful to their service and their positive impact on our students,” the message said.
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