It appears from this communication that Seattle Administration would like to open discussions with the union to take back 1.9% from teacher salaries.
SA has stubbornly refused to cut central office administration. such as 4-5 "communications" staff .
Seattle has nearly double the administration of any other district in the state such as 4-5 "communications" staff .
Good morning,
As many of you know, the Washington state legislature approved its budget last week, leaving Seattle Public Schools with a $4 million budget shortfall to resolve before the start of the 2011-12 school year.
In February, we estimated the budget shortfall at $35 million. Last week, after the legislature adjourned, we were presented with an additional $10.7 million in funding challenges, leaving us with a total budget impact of $45.7 million. As a result of our staff’s hard work we have already made some difficult cuts, with reductions totaling more than $41 million.
In order to have a balanced budget, we will need to address this final shortfall. The remaining budget gap of approximately $4 million equates closely to the loss of state revenue in K-12 salary allocations (1.9 percent to teachers and classified staff and 3 percent to certificated administrative staff, including principals).
These funding changes require that we work with our bargaining partners to implement the impacts of these reductions. We have difficult decisions to make in order to balance our budget. In making these decisions, we are prioritizing direct funding to the classrooms and the students.
We will be discussing potential solutions to the $4 million gap during our June 8 work session with the School Board. We will bring a proposed budget to the Board on June 15, with scheduled action on July 6. There will be a public hearing on the proposed 2011-12 budget on Wednesday, June 22 in the John Stanford Center auditorium.
I know the uncertainty, especially around the potential salary reduction, is difficult and I ask for your continued patience as we work through these final details.
Sincerely,
Susan
Susan Enfield, Ed.D.
Interim Superintendent
Seattle Public Schools
