Richland School District is cutting costs and eliminating some vacant positions as its schools reel from rising student needs, insufficient state funding and climbing costs to deliver students an education.
Superintendent Shelley Redinger detailed a plan to combat these “financial hardships” in a Wednesday letter to families. That includes asking teachers and principals to be “cautious” with spending, streamlining operational costs without compromising education and advocating for more funding at the state level.
Many of the changes to rectify the discrepancy have already taken place at the district office, where more than 20% of positions have been cut through attrition.
The district will operate during the 2024-25 school year on a general fund balance of 0.5%. The district normally tries to operate on a 4% balance.
“This will not be an easy journey, but as a district we have faced challenges before and emerged stronger,” Redinger wrote. “We are confident that by coming together as a community we will persevere through this period of financial hardship. We appreciate your patience, understanding and support as we work through these difficulties.”
Richland’s predicament is not unique. School districts across the region and country have been making steep cuts in recent years with rising costs to materials and operations, higher insurance costs, lower enrollment, and a “spending cliff” caused by one-time federal dollars dolled out during the COVID pandemic.
Back in August, the district’s school board approved a general fund budget for the 2024-25 school year that included $233 million in expenditures and $235 million in revenues. The district mitigated cuts during the spring budget season by reassigning teachers and trimming some programs.
Richland School Board President Rick Jansons said the current situation is not dire and that the board would be closely monitoring spending over the coming months.
“Our primary emphasis is to ensure we don’t impact student learning,” he said. “We’ll be working with administration throughout the year to ensure we are efficiently using the funds and we are continuing to provide services.”
More than 14,000 students attend class in the Richland School District. It also has 1,400 employees working in 12 elementary schools, four middle schools, two comprehensive high schools and a number of other choice schools.
Richland’s financial woes come at a tricky time as the district tries to pass a $314 million bond measure to relieve overcrowding and rebuild some of its most decrepit facilities. The district has about 900 more students than its facilities can account for.
If passed, revenue from bond sales would fund construction of a new high school in West Richland, improvements at Hanford and Richland high schools, and a new bus hub.
But opening new schools can also cost school districts millions in new salaries, furnishings and resources.
A spending pause
Staff at various schools were notified earlier this month that the school district would be implementing a spending pause “until further notice,” according to emails reviewed by the Herald.
Principals were also directed to hold off on purchases as well as to review all spending requests.
Teachers were told to vet print jobs, classroom supplies and building budget requests by asking if it was a “need to have” or a “nice to have.” One principal suggested teachers think about ways to share materials and utilize reusable supplies, like whiteboards.
In her letter, Redinger voiced concern that the state’s constitutional responsibility for funding public education was slipping.
More than half of Washington’s general fund was dedicated to K-12 education as a result of reforms made following the landmark state Supreme Court decision in McCleary v. Washington. And while investments have increased in public education since then, its share of the total general budget has fallen to just 43%, Redinger says.
“This represents a significant shift in the state’s financial priorities and impacts the quality of education schools have the money to provide,” she wrote. “What lawmakers determined was needed in schools in 2017-18 is different from what is needed today.”
That includes an increased need for student mental health support.
Redinger says the district used some of the $21 million it received through the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief program, or ESSER, to cover the spending gap for counselors, school nurses, social workers and psychologists.
But the third and final installment of ESSER expired at the end of September. Richland plans to continue funding those programs, as well as academic recovery and prevention programs, through grants. But it has also found that funding those through that route wasn’t “sustainable or reliable long term.”
Another issue nagging Richland’s budget is the state and federal funding models for special education.
While the state increased the school cap by 1 percentage point last legislative session , to cover special ed funding for up to 16% of a school’s population, the cost to deliver those services continues to rise at an alarming rate.
The increase amounted to an additional $20 million for Washington schools during the 2024-25 cycle, but it also left districts to foot about $530 million in unfunded programs.
Richland School District alone relied on $2.5 million in local levy funds to cover the costs of unfunded special education programs.
“The cost of meeting students’ individualized needs through assistive technology, specialized services and therapies, etc. is higher than the rate of funding provided by the state,” Redinger wrote. “School districts are required by law to meet the individualized needs of students regardless of whether funding is provided or not.”
Operating costs, like curriculum and electricity, have also skyrocketed and state funding “isn’t even close to keeping up,” Redinger wrote.
Since 2020, the cost of insurance for Washington’s school districts has increased nearly 60%. Those continue to rise, but the state only pays for “a portion” of the total, she wrote.
“Despite the financial hardships, we’re committed to doing everything we can to make changes furthest from the classroom,” Redinger wrote. “Our collective decisions will be guided by our dedication for always placing students first.”
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