Portland, Oregon’s largest school district, is preparing to navigate a challenging budget for the upcoming school year, as announced by Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong.
The district’s budget for day-to-day operations will increase by only 1.4% to approximately $1.09 billion, leading to significant program and staffing cutbacks.
Superintendent Armstrong explained that maintaining all programs and positions would require an additional $40 million, a sum the district is currently unable to secure.
The financial strain is a result of a dual challenge: an 11% drop in enrollment since 2019 and the increasing costs of operations due to inflation and rising employee pay and benefits.
A detailed “heat map” of projected staffing changes reveals that a total of 157 school-based positions will be eliminated, which includes reductions across all levels of education.
Specific reductions indicate 32 positions will disappear at high schools, 37 at middle schools, 16 at K-8 schools, and a staggering 72 at elementary schools, which are disproportionately affected by the decline in student numbers attributed to lower birth rates.
The cuts amount to about 3.5% of the district’s more than 7,000 total employees.
Armstrong has indicated that these cuts may not lead to layoffs, as many affected positions might be covered by existing vacancies and anticipated retirements.
However, she noted that some staff members may need to be reassigned to different schools by the time September arrives.
Despite initial forecasts suggesting schools would bear approximately 70% of the budget cuts, the latest projections show a shift.
Chief Financial Officer Michelle Morrison detailed that 56% of cost savings would be sourced from school budgets, while the remaining 44% would come from the district’s central office.
The newly released budget details allow parents to compare current staffing levels at their children’s schools with the projected figures for the next academic year, shedding light on the growing concern over educational resources.
Notably, only a few schools, including Benson High School and Roseway Heights Middle School in Northeast Portland, are projected to receive staffing increases due to anticipated growth in enrollment.
In contrast, several schools are expected to see significant reductions in educators and support staff.
Schools such as Beach, Hayhurst, Capitol Hill, Lee, Markham, Marysville, Rosa Parks, Sabin, and Woodstock elementaries, as well as Bridger-Creative Science K-8, Kellogg, Lane, Mount Tabor and Beaumont middle schools, and Jefferson high school are projected to lose 10% or more of their licensed staff.
The ramifications of these staff losses will impact classrooms significantly, particularly for fourth and fifth grades where a blended approach will be encouraged to maintain smaller class sizes.
Moreover, middle and high schools may be constrained to enrollments of at least 15 students for classes to be included in the schedule.
The budget also proposes cuts to support staff focusing on dual language education for middle school students, further complicating language accessibility.
During the board meeting, Armstrong announced that approximately 85 central office employees would be laid off, including many positions previously funded by grants.
Additional savings will come from reducing contracted work, affecting roles focused on staff professional development and translation services for non-English speaking families.
Despite the cuts, the board voted to increase salaries for “senior chief” leadership positions, allowing for a pay range of $224,000 to $239,000.
Armstrong recently appointed Kimberly Howard and Jon Franco as senior chiefs for academics and operations, respectively.
While these appointments create higher-tier roles, Armstrong emphasized that they also aim to streamline operations and reduce costs by eliminating several director positions under their supervision.
The organization will now feature a team of 72 chiefs, senior directors, and directors, a reduction from 82 such positions this year, as explained by Armstrong.
The looming threat of federal funding cuts adds another layer of concern to the district’s already precarious financial situation.
With the Trump administration indicating potential withdrawal of funds tied to schools catering to low-income families and special education programs due to disagreements over diversity, equity, and inclusion support, the school district is on edge.
To facilitate community input, the district plans to conduct another budget work session with public comments on April 29 at Grant High School from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Superintendent Armstrong also warned of an additional projected budget shortfall of $32 million for the 2026-2027 academic year, exacerbating concerns over fiscal sustainability.
She explained that some of this year’s budget cuts have been mitigated by utilizing one-time funds, which will not be available in the upcoming year.
Both Armstrong and the school board members acknowledged that in response to the ongoing decline in enrollment, which is expected to persist for the next eight years, considerations for school consolidations and the redrawing of enrollment boundaries will likely need to be addressed.
Currently, 24 elementary and K-8 schools are anticipated to have enrollments below 300 students next year, with Jefferson High School projected to have around 430 students.
As the district prepares for these tough changes, the implications for students, families, and educators are significant, raising questions about the future of education in the region.
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