Board hears budget balancing and staffing cuts; teachers and counselors warn of service losses

Miss Jane, the district finance presenter, told the board that May state adjustments and formula changes produced a $2.5 million payment that materially improved the district’s budget outlook and reduced a prior $10 million deficit. She said the district carried May adjustments into the 2026–27 projected budget and will present details at upcoming budget meetings.

In the staffing presentation, Susie explained how the district used ADM (average daily membership) and class-size formulas to set staffing and said declining enrollment (about 400 students) drove staffing reductions. Susie reported 22 certified positions and 21 classified positions cut and said 7 employees were on full layoff at the time of the meeting. She emphasized seniority, certification and programmatic constraints in recall and placement decisions.

Public commenters said the reductions will have material effects on classroom supports. Memorial Middle School counselor Katie Luke told the board the American School Counselor Association recommends a caseload of 250 students per counselor; she said that, under current plans, Memorial would have one counselor for 513 students and that “counselors in our district are now being asked to do the work of two people.”

Parent speaker Brian Thompson and other community members urged the board to preserve a full‑time band director role at North Albany Middle School, arguing that cutting the posted position to 0.83 FTE will reduce program quality and stability. Thompson said long-term program success depends on a full-time director who can manage rehearsals, performances and extracurricular time.

Union members and teachers warned the board that a proposed across‑the‑board 4% reduction in force (RIF) would remove roughly 50 adults who work directly with students, increasing class sizes and reducing intervention capacity. Ken Biser (teacher) urged the board to prioritize decisions that minimize classroom impacts.

The board approved the candidate-selection process and the consent agenda during the same meeting; no vote to reverse cuts or FTE changes was recorded.

Ending: Board directed administration to continue budget hearings and post application materials for the board appointment. The public record includes requests from employees and community members to reconsider counselor and program FTE allocations during the budget adoption process.