N. Thurston plans for worst

Students will have fewer electives, larger classes and higher extracurricular costs in North Thurston Public Schools if a levy fails May 20, Superintendent Jim Koval told board members Tuesday night.

Koval presented two budgets — one with $17.5 million in reductions that will be required if voters reject the renewal maintenance and operations levy, and one with $3.8 million cut if the levy passes. The board will vote to adopt both budgets at Monday's board meeting.

If the levy passes

Koval's recommendations for balancing the budget include:

• About 30 positions would be eliminated, mostly through attrition.

• Fees would increase for residents to use district pools, sports fields and other facilities.

• Start times would change to reduce transportation costs. High schools would start a half-hour earlier; middle schools would start about 9:20 a.m.

• The district would make cuts in administration, transportation, special education, career and technical education, and grant-supported safety and drug-prevention programs.

• School lunch prices would increase by 10 cents, to $2.65 for a regular-price lunch.

The plan incorporates feedback from four meetings the district had last week, in which attendees ranked their program priorities.

Residents who attended said their top priorities were special education and maintaining staff members who support teachers at schools, such as librarians and counselors. They said they'd prefer saving money through changing start and end times and increasing costs of facility rentals.

If the levy fails

Koval said it was difficult to incorporate the priority list from the meetings when cutting 16 percent of the budget that's covered by levy dollars, because nearly all programs would be affected.

"There's not a lot of wiggle room with $17.5 million," he said.

If the levy fails, Koval said, cuts will include:

• 255 positions will be eliminated through layoffs or attrition, including the jobs of 110 teachers. The district has about 2,000 full- and part-time positions.

• All elementary school art, music and physical education teaching positions will be cut, as well as band and orchestra programs.

• High school sports participation fees will increase, and some sports will be cut, such as swimming. Fees will be $200 to $250, compared with $75 now. Activities director and athletic trainer positions will be cut.

• Staff will be cut at South Sound High School, and the school will serve fewer students, with a greater emphasis on online courses.

• Some high school vocational and elective programs will be cut.

• The district will eliminate Challenge Academy and Nisqually Reach, programs for gifted students.

The 40 staff members and parents who attended Tuesday's meeting described the news as devastating.

"Dr. Koval has used the word catastrophic. ... There's no other word that puts its arm around the terrible situation," said Lynn Grantham, co-chairwoman of the North Thurston Citizens for Schools levy committee.

Carol O'Connell, principal of Meadows Elementary School, said it would be sad to lose elementary programs such as music and PE.

"This community needs to pass this levy. The level of cuts are so detrimental to the whole school system," she said.

Kathy Shea, a bus driver in the district for 22 years, said she worried about some of her colleagues' jobs.

"It looks like transportation is a pretty big cut," she said.

Diane Huber covers education for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-357-0204 or dhuber@theolympian.com.