The Issaquah School Board voted Wednesday, April 22 to approve a motion laying off 158 teachers after district officials presented a “reduction in force” plan to combat a possible $10.5 million decrease in state funding.

“This is sobering,” said Board President Brian Deagle. “This is the hardest issue I’ve had to deal with on the board, and this is going to be incredibly disruptive for our community. All of our schools are going to feel this, and it’s something that we will have to go through together.”

The $10.5 million reduction is a “worst case scenario,” said Jake Kuper, Chief Financial Officer and Operations for the district.

Because the state Legislature has not finalized a budget, district officials can’t say for sure how much funding will decrease by; but, as a stipulation in the contract with the Issaquah Education Association, the district had to notify teachers by April 20 if layoffs are anticipated.

“We’re making it clear that there is pain in this,” said Ron Thiele, assistant superintendent for the district. “But one of the challenges we face is … 85 percent of what is spent is in staff. When budgets are being cut, it’s very difficult to operate in the black without addressing the people in the organization.”

The majority of the state funding cuts will come from I-728 dollars, money used to keep class sizes low. With that money gone, the district won’t have the means to pay as many teachers, Kuper said.

Layoffs will be conducted by seniority, another condition in Issaquah teacher’s contracts, and staff should expect to receive notices beginning May 1.

The loss of staff will save the district an estimated $8.4 million, Kuper said. In addition to the 158 teachers receiving notices, 37 have already resigned or given “non-continuing agreements,” meaning they are moving on to different jobs.

“We’re looking at a number, but it’s more than that. We know that. There are people on that list who we have seen go through our school system, who we have fostered and encouraged to pursue the career and profession of education, and now we’re in a position where we don’t have a place for those people,” board member Jan Woldseth said. “I just want to make sure we take a moment to realize the emotion behind the issue, the position we’re in, the reality in terms of people’s livelihoods, and the impact on our classrooms.”

If the state Legislature does not cut as much funding as expected, some teachers could be recalled based on specialty and seniority. This will likely happen during the summer.

Additionally, district officials recommended cutting $2.2 million from operations and services levels; meaning, cutting work hours from the maintenance department, the operations and transportation department, and administrative staff and secretaries, among others.

At a finance meeting Tuesday, April 28, community members pressed district officials with handfuls of questions about the budget. Many questions focused on different ways to save money; for instance, halting all construction projects, and staggering bus times and synching bell schedules like the Seattle School District plans to do.

Issaquah School District Superintendent Steve Rasmussen explained that capital improvements money, which is approved by the public in a bond measure, legally cannot be used to pay for staff.

He also noted that the district has had staggered bus schedules — and a myriad of other cost-reducing measures — for years.

The Issaquah School District is one of the lowest-funded districts in the state, and ranks 271st out of 295 districts in per-pupil funding.

“We’re already lean,” Thiele said. “We’ve already had to tighten the belt to operate in the black.”

Many other community questions focused on cutting transportation, adjusting schedules to save money, and using federal stimulus money.

However, Kuper said that it is “highly recommended” to not pay staff with stimulus money, because it isn’t an ongoing source of funding.

As May 15 looms nearer — the date state law mandates teachers must be notified of layoffs by — more and more districts will be releasing projected staff cut numbers.

The state Superintendent of Public Instruction’s office estimates that 3,000 to 5,000 teachers could lose their jobs.

“No one will escape this. At the end of the day, every public school system will be impacted,” Thiele said. “But the guiding philosophy that we used really begins and ends with the district’s mission, and learning goals for students. At the very core of what we’re attempting to do is maintain a quality learning experience for our students, despite significant state cuts.”

Go to www.issaquah.wednet.edu for more information.