VANCOUVER, Wash. — Evergreen Public Schools is planning to slash its 2024-25 budget by $20 million, according to a spokesperson for the school district, which serves east Vancouver and unincorporated parts of southeast Clark County. School board members are scheduled to discuss the potential budget cuts at a meeting on Tuesday.
It's the third year in a row that the east Vancouver school district has faced the possibility of budget reductions. Evergreen cut almost 200 positions to close a $20 million gap two years ago, and then last year the district shaved another $19 million off its budget. The cycle of belt-tightening has been stressful for local parents.
"We cannot continue on this way," said Camille Lowman, a parent of a kindergartner at York Elementary School. She said the cuts have made her increasingly concerned about the quality of her son's education.
It's still not clear exactly which positions or programs will get cut, but a district spokesperson said supervisors have already spoken last week to staff who will be directly impacted. Some staff positions will be cut and others will be moved to new roles, the spokesperson added, but said the district can't reveal the specifics before Tuesday's meeting.
The lack of clarity also has parents frustrated.
"If we as parents don't know the specifics of what is going to be cut, how do we know how we're going to support our children?" Lowman said.
Lowman and another parent, Angie Bunda, said they've heard that the potential cuts could affect core areas of schools throughout the district — although there's been no official word about the plan.
"Taking away librarians, taking away sports, taking away the arts — taking away everything that makes you feel alive," Bunda said, adding that she'd also heard security personnel at middle schools could be impacted.
The district spokesperson said some of the budget reductions will be at the district level, which parents pointed to as a place where the cuts should happen.
Several other Southwest Washington school districts are also grappling with the need to make cuts. Vancouver Public Schools plans to reduce its budget for the 2024-25 school year, and the Washougal School District is facing a $3 million shortfall, according to a spokesperson. Superintendent Dr. Mary Templeton has voluntarily cut her salary by almost $21,000 for the 2024-25 school year.
In Oregon, the state's largest two school districts, Portland Public Schools and the Salem-Keizer School District, are both facing budget cuts of their own.
Back in Evergreen, parents said they're angry about how the cuts could impact their students.
"They deserve a future that is equitable," Lowman said. "They deserve a school environment that is fully staffed."