Shortfall means Lynden Schools will cut jobs

Barely a month ago, VanderYacht was bracing himself for a $4.2 million shortfall at Lynden Schools for the upcoming school year.

As approximations went from $4.2 million to $3.2 million to $2.475 million, VanderYacht put together a strategy to mitigate the expected revenue loss.

The reason for the nearly $2.5 million shortfall, VanderYacht said, is mostly because of the loss of COVID-19 relief (ESSER), staffing levels beyond what’s funded by the state through its prototypical funding model, inflationary increases, and rising compensation costs.

“Many of the 18.5 (jobs) were ESSER funds,” School Board President CJ Costanti said Thursday before the board’s vote.

VanderYacht explained a little further.

“We added a high level of classified (jobs) to support over the past few years,” he said. “We found them to be very valuable, but the classroom is where we have to support our most important work.”

The board of directors’ 4-to-0 vote allows VanderYacht to implement his education reduction plan, known as Resolution No. 06-23. With family employed in the district, Board Member David Vis did not vote.

To be clear, the reduced educational program does not mean the district will offer less education to its students. However, it does mean that calculating full-time as well as part-time jobs, the district will let go 22.55 positions. 

According to the education reduction plan, the recommended cuts, mostly in salary but also including various “extra time, materials, supplies and operating costs” will make up the expected shortfall.

To break down the lost jobs, 9.0 positions will come from certificated instructional staff (traditional classroom teachers, elementary interventionists and special education teachers). Through attrition of retirement and resignations, as well as employees on unpaid leave, the district will lose two certificated employees, VanderYacht said.

“Those two will be in our employment pool,” VanderYacht said. “They’ll be the first two to be called back for any positions they’re qualified to teach.”

The district will cut 9.5 classified staff, a group that includes librarians, paraeducators, lunch supervisors, technology coaches and speech therapist assistants.

The remaining 4.05 positions are certificated administrators and directors, and classified support staff. This group includes custodians, office personnel, food service, bus drivers and maintenance.

Enrollment … and state funding

In the past five school years, Lynden Schools peaked in student enrollment in 2019-2020 with 3,332 students. Since then, meaning since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools in March 2020 and affected how classes were taught as well as safety precautions, student totals dipped by more than 200 in 2020-2021 (3,128 students), increased by about 50 in 2021-2022 (3,177), then increased by close to 150 in the district’s projections for 2022-2023 (3,321).

Monday, VanderYacht said that the district’s “pretty conservative projections” for the 2023-2024 school year are 3,342 enrolled students.

“The state of Washington has not yet calculated what the dollar-to-student ration will be for the 2023-2024 school year,” he said.

VanderYacht also said it’s possible the shortfall could be less than what he believes it to be today, because it’s unknown how much money the district will receive from the state to educate each student.

Before the vote, Board Member Tonya Hickman asked VanderYacht whether “budgets on Olympia could change these numbers.”

The answer, VanderYacht said, was yes.

“The numbers are still very fluid,” he explained Monday.

According to the district’s 2023-2024 reduced education plan, known as Resolution No. 06-23, Washington state law requires that the district notify any certificated employee expected to lose their job with the district by May 15.

The district has until June 2 to notify any classified staff they won’t be retained for the 2023-2024 school year.

-- Contact Bill Helm at bill@lyndentribune.com.