Edmonds may cut 50 teaching jobs

The Edmonds School District may have to cut 50 teaching positions and raise class sizes to help make up a $6 million budget shortfall in the 2007-08 school year.

The district said it will also have to make "significant" reductions in administration and support staff but won't know the exact numbers until the Legislature finalizes its budget in the coming days.

"The cuts won't just come in the classroom. They'll be felt all around," said Edmonds budget and finance manager Bill McKeighen.

A number of other districts in the Puget Sound region are also facing budget shortfalls as declining enrollments mean less state funding at the same time the costs of salaries and benefits, transportation and utilities continue to rise.

Budget proposals in both the state House and Senate increase core funding for education but don't cover the past decade of rising costs, education advocates say.

"A huge number of very well-run, well-managed districts are bleeding," said Lisa Macfarlane, president of the League of Education Voters.

Compounding the problem this year, Macfarlane said, is the state's plan to give teachers a cost-of-living increase. With increasing numbers of teachers supported by local levy dollars, not state funding, the school districts must pay those teachers' raises out of their own funds.

The Northshore School District is facing a $4 million shortfall and anticipates cutting an additional $4 million the following year, said spokeswoman Susan Stoltzfus. She said the district has targeted 10 teachers, six classified staff and 20 part-time elementary library secretaries for elimination to balance next year's budget.

The Renton School District must make up a $5 million gap between revenue and expenses next year. District spokesman Randy Matheson said 13 positions will be cut from administration and support staff, but no teachers will lose their jobs.

Federal Way is facing a $2 million shortfall but hasn't determined yet where the cuts will come from, said spokeswoman Diane Turner.

Edmonds, the state's 12th-largest school district, hopes to reduce its work force through attrition rather than layoffs. Typically, the district hires about 100 teachers each year to replace those who have retired or resigned. State law requires districts to notify teachers by May 15 if their contracts might not be renewed.

In addition to the projected layoffs, the district will increase class sizes by one student throughout its schools.

Teachers-union officials say more-crowded classrooms will hurt academic achievement.

"With the demands on students to meet standards, it's not the time to go backward on class size," said Dave Wood, a representative for the Washington Education Association based in the Edmonds School District.

Enrollment in the Edmonds School District has declined almost 6 percent in six years, falling from 21,877 in 2000 to 20,609 in October. The district projects an additional 1 percent decline next year.

Lynn Thompson: 425-745-7807