More than 40 Olympia school workers stuck in limbo as budget deficit lingers at $7.6 million
Monday was the day Olympia School District officials had to enact the district’s Reduced Education Plan to offset the now-$7.6 million budget deficit for 2023-24, and 45 employees were told their positions were being cut for the next school year.
Jodi Boe, president of the Olympia Educators Association, said even more notices would have been sent out if the union hadn’t met with district leaders over the past couple of weeks. She said a Reduction in Force can be avoided and it’s likely almost all 45 of the employees whose contracts were put on the chopping block will have positions in the district by the end of the week.
The OSD school board received a budget update May 11 from Superintendent Patrick Murphy and assistant superintendent Jennifer Priddy. The deficit is down from a high of $17.9 million after the district received more funding from the 2023 state legislature and made program cuts.
Priddy said $1.4 million has been sent back to secondary schools to make up for the reduction plan and need for larger class sizes. There also will be far fewer reductions at elementary schools — likely five to 10 positions cut.
Boe said that with the current budget deficit, the district likely can prevent massive layoffs because of the number of employees who will retire or leave voluntarily. The last-minute update to the reduction plan identifies 45 employees who are provisional, or who have been with the district for a year or school in the state for two years, including brand-new teachers, to be put on a displaced list.
With only a month left in the school year, the district will soon be receiving notification from employees who are retiring or leaving on their own. Boe said those on the displaced list, which includes some instructional coaches and elementary teachers, will be able to choose from open positions by seniority.
Boe said they’re going to start placing the displaced on Monday or Tuesday, and she’s hopeful most, if not all 45, will find a new place in the district by the end of the week.
“It’s been very confusing, and it’s been a lot of hanging on and waiting, and now it’s May 15,” Boe said. “They have to have a job.”
The situation has been painful for many.
Lucas Claussen, a teacher and former paraeducator for several years at Reeves Middle School, spoke during the May 11 board meeting. He said he is one of the employees who received a letter of non-renewal of his contract.
Claussen said he took his full-time teaching position in OSD during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said contrary to being offered a one-year contract like usual, he worked as a substitute teacher while still on his paraeducator contract.
“Now this personally affects me, impacting my placement on the seniority list and delaying my removal from provisional status,” he said. “In many ways, it also reflects the devaluation of paraeducators and their work and their valuable experiences.”
Claussen said it was ironic that it was Teacher Appreciation Week when employees were handed letters about their jobs being cut.
Mario Mejia, the co-president of the Olympia Paraeducator Association, said at the board meeting he was stepping down because he feels the board doesn’t care about paraeducators.
“I’ve come down to this decision because it has become apparent to me that our voice, our positions, and our livelihood doesn’t matter to you,” he said.
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