School’s Minimum Education Plan Cuts Teachers

Illustration of state funding for minimum education and Orcas School District education expenses, prepared by Keith Whitaker, OISD Business Manager

With its approval of the Minimum Education Program for 2012-13, the Orcas Island School District (OISD) board set forth a plan for the next school year that cuts 16.76 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) teaching staff for K-12 students. The cuts include the Alternative Learning Experience/OASIS program and Waldron School staff.

With the unanimous vote on Thursday evening, April 26, the board set the “floor” for the district’s educational services for the 2012-13 academic year. State funding for public education requires that the plan be in place before district funding is finalized and before student enrollment is determined. On May 15, certificated teachers will be notified of their contracts, setting their hours, for the 2012-13 school year.The process is called “Reduction in FTE” or “riffed.”

As funding and enrollment become defined, contracts may be re-negotiated to increase hours, and teaching staff and programs may be added. School District Business Manager Keith Whitaker said that there will be some grant funding coming to the district: “So we know that things will get better from this minimum education plan “floor” — we just don’t know how much.”

The plan approved by the OISD board last Thursday calls for a reduction of:

• 4.78 FTE at the Elementary, K-6 level
• 2.2 FTE at the Middle School 7-8 level
• 3.6 at the OASIS K-8 level
• 7.5 at the High School level
• 1.82 at the Music, English Language Learning (ELL), Special Ed and Tech Support programs
• 1.16 at Waldron School

OISD Superintendent/High School Principal Barbara Kline spoke to the board about several options in planning academic programs. The Board will hold a special budget meeting on May 8 to review plans for staffing.