Duniway Elementary and the Cost of a $65 Million Deficit
As she gets school lunches ready for her two boys, Laura Labarre feels anxious about what kind of classroom support will be available to them next year. Her sons attend Duniway Elementary School, with one in kindergarten and the other in second grade. Her household is already well aware of the impact that educational budget reductions can have on a struggling learner.
When her older son started kindergarten, Laura said, budget cuts eliminated a teaching position. So that entire kindergarten class was thrust into classrooms that were 30 kids into just one adult in the room,
she said, as KATU reported. The larger classroom overwhelmed her son, who began falling behind in reading and math before a small-group program called Reading Results helped him catch up. Now she worries whether that help will remain available if her younger son needs it.
Portland Public Schools Outlines 450 Position Cuts
On Monday, Portland Public Schools officials presented a set of potential staffing cutbacks while the organization works to tackle an anticipated $65 million shortfall for the upcoming academic year. Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong noted that the system confronts prospective reductions amounting to as many as 450 full-time roles across various campuses and the main administration building. That figure does not necessarily mean 450 employees would lose their jobs. District leaders said the reductions could include occupied positions, vacancies, and services whose costs are expressed as the equivalent of staff positions.
Isaac Cardona, who serves as the chief of schools, explained that the staffing frameworks are still in a preliminary draft stage, though the system is weighing the possibility of funding schools at the bare minimum levels mandated by law and labor agreements. That may mean between two to five fewer staff members per building, and in some cases that number may be higher,
Cardona said. Officials outlined a variety of prospective modifications, such as schools functioning without dedicated full-time counselors, alterations to the setup of dual-language classes, and scale-backs in supplementary staffing for middle-school grades located within K–8 facilities. The district has not finalized individual schools’ staffing plans.
Parents Fear the Loss of Full-Time Counselors
For Labarre, the possibility of losing a full-time counselor is especially concerning. Engaging as a volunteer at her children’s campus, she mentioned that she maintains regular communication with the counselor regarding both of her boys. Those conversations help connect what happens at school with what happens at home. Like I touch base with our counselor once a week now about both my kids because I get to see her, and I would really feel like our family was losing a huge support if that went away,
she said.
Senior Chief of Academics Christina Howard said schools must continue providing counseling services. But that does not mean every school, regardless of enrollment, must have its own full-time counselor. Howard said the district’s contract establishes a staffing ratio of 350 students to one counselor. Serving as the co-chair of Duniway’s advocacy group alongside her past background in education policy, Labarre noted that support personnel inside classrooms also fulfill a vital function. Labarre emphasized that she wants the administration to safeguard the personnel who interact directly with students to facilitate their education and foster connections with them. I mean what kids really need is to feel like they are in a safe, well cared for environment,
she said.
Pension Pressures and Declining Enrollment Drive Deficits
Armstrong stated that roughly $40 million of the anticipated shortfall stems from higher mandatory contributions directed toward the Public Employees Retirement System, which is designated as PERS. Furthermore, administration officials drew attention to declining student enrollment figures. Because school financing relies heavily on student enrollment numbers, drops in attendance translate to reduced revenue, even as operational expenses continue to climb. Fewer students does not mean our students need less,
Armstrong said.
Michelle Morrison, the chief financial officer, urged the governor to weigh utilizing $500 million from the Oregon Education Stability Fund to lower pension contribution percentages for educational systems across the state. Labarre shares the sentiment that state authorities need to take action. Expressing her perspective, she noted her conviction that alternative paths exist to establish greater financial stability for schools and head off additional reductions. Armstrong said the district starts by considering reductions in the central office and expects to share that list in January or February, noting that affected staff had not yet been notified.
