North Thurston slashes budget; axes 36 FTEs

The North Thurston School Board has voted to slash nearly $5 million from their budget. The lowlights:

The cuts include eliminating about 36 full-time-equivalent teaching positions throughout the district, but that will be reached through retirements, resignations and not renewing one-year contracts....

Other cuts include:

• Eliminating the Talented and Gifted program for first-graders.
• Raising high school athletic fees from $75 a sport to $100 a sport. The football fee would be $125.
• Raising middle school athletic fees from $40 a year to $60 a year.
• Reducing full-time librarians at the elementary schools to half time.
• Cutting several district-level administrator or director positions.
• Increasing lunch prices by 25 cents.
• Eliminating food reimbursements for teachers, administrators and other adults who are traveling or at meetings.
• Lowering the temperature of the district’s pools and pool buildings, which a North Thurston district resident suggested could save $36,000.

Other staff reductions include eight administrators or supervisors, one office professional at each of the middle and high schools, a mechanic and 3.5 full-time-equivalent custodians.

It should be noted that, compared to personnel cuts, the savings from efficiencies and user fees are rather small.

In his reluctant defense of the cuts, Board member Bill Williams is quoted as saying, "[B]asically, we have no choice." Until all our options are exhausted--and they aren't--that isn't the case.

About a week ago, I urged the Board to let the voters decide whether to accept any potential earnings from a levy lid lift, which NTSD has forsworn. Although Gregoire hasn't convened the legislature for a special session to lift the lid, it's still an option. If that effort falls short, then Williams will be right.

If it falls short.

We'll find out by the end of the week.

Update: It appears that Gregoire's plan to call a special session has crumbled into pieces. Sucks to be us, eh North Thurston School District?

North Thurston: let the voters decide

Although I teach in the Olympia School District, I live within the confines of North Thurston SD. This absolutely bewilders me:

[T]he governor claims that Seattle schools could collect nearly $14 million, Tacoma $1.7 million and North Thurston could bring in $2 million.

The North Thurston School District disputes the governor's estimate, but said even if the governor's math is right they would not plan on collecting the cash.

District spokeswoman Courtney Schrieve said taxpayers approved a levy expecting to pay a certain amount and taking more out of their pockets now isn't fair.

"We just don't feel like it's the right thing to do. Even though we're having to cut 65 staff positions," Schrieve said.

It isn't fair only if the voters don't approve of the increase--and when the last levy passed, we had no idea a $9 billion shortfall was in the works.

Why not commission a poll and find out what the voters want?

standards-based grading: coming to a school near me

I read about North Thurston's switch to standards-based grading in elementary schools...

Teachers no longer will include homework or students' behavior as part of a letter grade; the mark only will represent the student's learning achievement, measured by test scores, key assignments and observations. Work habits, homework and behavior will be evaluated separately.

Other changes include:

• Late assignments will not reduce a grade

• Extra credit or bonus points also will not typically factor into the grade

• Grades will not be based on attendance

• Homework will not be factored into grades, but rather used as practice and to guide teachers on what to focus on.

• Grades will be organized by standards or learning goals rather than on one specific subject. For example, the third grade report card will measure students' reading skills based on fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

... and the next day was asked to read a slightly overgrown pamphlet about standards-based grading "fixes," including all the changes listed above. The goal: prepare me to participate in a book group examining Capital's assessment practices.

I detect a trend.