District budgets 'spread thin'

Projected enrollment and school year operating budget

Shelton School District — 4,200 students, $81.8 million

North Mason — 2,357 students, $44.5 million

Southside — 200 students, $4.5 million

Pioneer — 714 students, $16 million

Mary M. Knight — 170 students, $19 million (includes Washington Connections Academy)

Grapeview — 200 students, $4.2 million

Hood Canal — 320 students, $8.4 million

Dramatically increasing costs in insurance, special education and supplies created budget challenges for the seven school districts in Mason County.

The Shelton School District made almost $2.9 million in reductions for the school year.

“It’s like people’s household budgets — things cost more,” Shelton Superintendent Wyeth Jessee said. That includes insurance, food, fuel and staffing, he said.

“I think we’re managing the money the best we can,” he said.

The largest cut is the reduction of hourly paraeducator time at $843,501. The reductions include eliminating the positions of executive director of teaching and learning for a savings of $229,834 and the kindergarten-eighth grade athletic director for a savings of $161,641. The budget also eliminates six full-time certified teaching positions for a savings of $731,172.

The Pioneer School District in May discovered it was facing a budget shortfall of $1.4 million for the 2024-25 school year. The district made

$2 million in cuts, with 20 staff positions eliminated.

“It was not fun,” said Superintendent Jeff Davis. Last school year, the district began the year with 22 new employees; this year it’s two, both bus drivers replacing employees.

The Grapeview School District made about $180,000 in cuts. “We’re facing the fight all the other districts are … All of us are spread thin,” said Superintendent Gerry Grubbs.

The district didn’t replace a middle school teacher who left or a classified staffer, Grubbs said. Grubbs himself took a pay cut, working three days a week instead of four.

“The state dramatically underfunds transportation and special education — that one is a huge hit,” Grubbs said. The state needs to pay for more nonemployee related costs, he said.

Two years ago, the district paid $60,000 for insurance. If the district hadn’t switched to a different insurance, the tab would have been $106,000 this school year.

The Southside School District didn’t lay off any employees but did make some cuts in operations and supplies.

“What’s killing us is the unpredictable cost of insurance … The state doesn’t fully fund education and it’s killing us,” said Southside Superintendent Paul Wieneke.

In a news release, he wrote, “Despite increasing enrollment and generous support from local taxes, we’re receiving reduced revenue from the state for a third year in a row. Levy income, competitive grants and spending cuts have essentially kept our district alive, given large unforeseeable increases in district insurance, employee benefits, transportation, and special ed costs.”

North Mason Superintendent Dana Rosenbach said legislators need to deal with the increases on insurance costs for districts. Insurance cost the district less than $100,000 in 2019-20; now it’s more than $879,000, including a 39% increase this school year, she said.

Rosenbach shared a copy of the Washington Association of School Administrators’ recommendations to the Legislature for the January biennium session.

The group’s 2025 legislative platform begins, “School administrators acknowledge the Legislature’s efforts to fully fund basic education, including the provision of significant additional funding in the last 10 years. Nevertheless, funding for at least three major components of basic education — special education, pupil transportation, and materials, supplies and operating costs continue to be underfunded.”