Eagle Point SD 9 outlines $2.2 million shortfall, proposes layoffs, program shifts and iPad lease deferral

The Eagle Point SD 9 board heard a detailed budget report on April 24 that projects a general-fund shortfall of roughly $2.1 million to $2.2 million for next year and lays out proposed cuts and funding shifts to balance the books.

Superintendent (speaker identified in the transcript as Mister Colette) told the board the district has been "about $2,100,000 more or less below where we wanted to be" and that the administration’s planning sheet shows the district is roughly "$2,200,000 short." He said a mix of grant carryover, ESSER funding and other one-time revenues had masked a longer-term structural gap.

Why it matters: the administration proposed a package of reductions and reassignments designed to reach about $1,400,000 in general-fund savings while also setting aside approximately $800,000 to cover estimated claims that could result from Senate Bill 389, which expanded unemployment eligibility for some classified employees. The district described the $800,000 estimate as approximate, comparing its projection to other districts and noting the range may be between $700,000 and $1,000,000 depending on actual filings.

Major elements of the plan include:
- Deferring renewal of the three-year iPad lease for one year to move the renewal from next year into 2025–26; staff estimated this deferral would reduce next year’s expenditures by about $250,000 but would reduce trade-in value by an estimated $40,000–$50,000 and could require a year for a possible platform transition.
- Charging permitted indirect costs (about 4–5%) to food-service grants that historically had not borne that cost; staff said this would help the general fund without reducing Sodexo’s contract guarantee.
- Eliminating or transferring roughly 19 listed positions on paper (district said most would be shifted to grants or managed by attrition), including some IA positions and one kindergarten teacher at Hillside; the superintendent said the plan anticipates only three part‑time layoffs in the general fund after transfers/attrition are applied.
- Reducing building repairs and reinstating pre-ESSER substitute coverage models by eliminating ESSER-funded building subs.
- Shifting two mental-health therapist positions (1.75 FTE) out of district payroll in the general fund; administration said services would instead be arranged via community partners such as Jackson County Mental Health and other referral partners.

Board members asked about timing and risk. Several directors raised concerns about the operational and instructional effects of staff reductions—especially reductions to mental-health supports—and about the scale of transition if the district changes its 1:1 student device platform. Administrators responded that staff would use the coming year to plan any transition and to try to minimize direct layoffs by reallocating positions to grants where allowable.

What’s next: the board will review these proposed reductions in the upcoming budget meetings; the superintendent said more detailed draft budget documents would be provided at the first budget meeting scheduled in two weeks. The administration emphasized the numbers provided are planning estimates and that some items are transfers rather than outright eliminations.