Puyallup schools won’t say what jobs they cut to tackle deficit. Here’s what we found out

Some employees in the Puyallup School District won’t have a job there next school year.

The school district notified staffers in the equivalent of 37 full-time positions in May that their provisional certificated contract would not be renewed due to budgetary reasons. As per the terms of those contracts, they are subject to nonrenewal.

Those with a provisional certificated contract are generally teachers, counselors, librarians or specialists in their initial years of service. The school district can choose not to renew a contract due to an employee’s performance or the district’s budgetary constraints.

When asked what 37 full-time equivalent positions were cut, school district spokesperson Sarah Gillispie wouldn’t give specifics.

Gillispie wrote in an email: “Out of respect for the privacy and well-being of the individuals involved, we believe it would be inappropriate to disclose further information that could potentially identify those impacted.”

The reductions were “carefully planned” to align with the anticipated number of students for 2024-25, Gillispie said.

“The impacted positions are spread across various levels and programs within the district, without particular focus on any specific area,” Gillispie wrote in the email.

Puyallup Education Association President Bob Horton said librarians and educators who teach elementary, junior high, high school, physical education and art are affected. The cuts affect “43 educators of which 32 educators lost their complete job and the others were partially non-renewed,” he said.

It impacted 17 elementary educators, 10 junior high educators, eight high school educators, four physical educators, one art educator and three librarians, he said.

“We are concerned about how removing these educators from key positions will affect the education of our students and their social emotional development. Our students need as much support as they can get as they are still recovering from the effects of the pandemic,” Horton wrote in an email.

Gillispie said five of the affected employees have been rehired into elementary school positions for next school year, and that it is possible more could be rehired. The district’s staffing needs will continue to change through September, she said.

The News Tribune reported in March that the school district has a budget deficit for the 2024-25 school year because enrollment numbers are down, and the district spent all of its federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.

Gillispie said the school district had projected a $14 million deficit at the time. After the state legislative session ended, it turned out that the district was facing a $12 million deficit.

The school district has over 1,530 certificated staff members, Gillispie wrote in an email. A little over 130 of those staffers are on provisional certificated contracts.

Certificated staff members have a valid teaching or administrative certificate from the state. They are teachers, counselors, speech therapists, school administrators, librarians and other specialists.

David Wetzel, a retired Puyallup High School teacher, told The News Tribune that he was concerned about the employees who plan to find a job at another school district. He said not having their contracts renewed is a “black mark” that will follow them.

“One of the first things that is asked is: ‘Have you ever been terminated or non-renewed?’ and they have to check yes. That is a filtration system that puts them at a distinct disadvantage,” Wetzel said.

Gillispie said the nonrenewal letters clearly state the reasoning: budgetary. It is not considered as a negative mark, she said. An employee’s performance did not play a role in the decision.

“It’s important to note that many school districts are currently facing similar financial challenges,” Gillispie wrote in the email. “Therefore, this situation is not unique to our district, and being nonrenewed for budgetary reasons should not negatively impact an employee’s future job prospects in other districts.”

Horton said the union has been trying to work cooperatively with the school district to keep the cuts away from classrooms. Cutting teachers decreases the district’s ability to meet the individual needs of students, he said.

The school district’s strategic plan includes academic achievement as well as social and emotional support systems in classrooms. Horton said making cuts to teaching staff is “misguided” in terms of the district’s priorities.

“You can’t balance your budget on the backs of the students and the teachers,” Horton said.

To tackle the $12 million shortfall, the school district will make reductions in four areas: central office, school expenditures, districtwide supports and fund balance.

About $5.6 million in cuts will come from the central office level. Gillispie said this includes mandatory furlough days and voluntary partial leave of absence for unrepresented staff. Department budgets and operational spending are also being reduced by 20 percent.

About $5 million in cuts will come from school expenditures. This includes the 37 full-time equivalent positions on provisional certificated contracts. Gillispie said it is common for school districts to reduce the number of those employees first when faced with staffing reductions.

When asked how much of the $5 million is from cutting those positions, Gillispie wrote: “We can confirm that reducing 37 employees on provisional non-renewal contracts is the majority of this savings. The remaining has been made through staffing allocation and expense adjustments, program restructuring, and utilization of carryforward budgets.”

About $915,000 will come from district-wide supports such as unrepresented staffing allocation adjustments, mutually agreed upon changes to bargained expenses, and department budget reductions, Gillispie said.

About $500,000 will come from the district’s contingency fund balance to reduce the reductions from $12 million to $11.5 million, Gillispie said.

In August, the Puyallup School Board is expected to hold a public hearing and vote on the school district’s operating budget for 2024-25.

The school district’s overall budget for 2023-24 is about $405 million, and the reductions are about 3 percent of the general fund for the forthcoming year, Gillispie said.

“This 3% reduction, while significant, is a relatively small portion of our overall budget. However, it still requires careful consideration and planning to ensure that essential services and programs are minimally impacted,” Gillispie wrote in an email.

The school district serves over 22,800 students.

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