Battle Ground Public Schools

Battle Ground school board approves staff reductions for 2020-21 school year

Drop in enrollment creates need for adjustments due to reduction in state revenue

Sept. 15, 2020

The Battle Ground Public Schools Board of Directors has approved additional staff furloughs that impact 152 staff in 235 classified positions. The changes were made in response to an anticipated $9.9 million budget shortfall, which is the result of a significant drop in student enrollment this school year. Some of the furloughs are a reduction in hours. The total reduction equates to about 60 FTE staff.

“These are very difficult decisions,” said Superintendent Mark Ross. “I know it can be traumatic to lose work and have to change jobs. I recognize the effect this has on people. It’s our hope that we can safely return to in-person learning soon, and begin to bring furloughed staff back.” 

The positions on furlough include basic education assistants (lab, lunch and bus duty), office and health room assistants, campus security, media technicians, intervention specialists, and discipline clerks. Furloughed staff could be brought back as they are needed when the district transitions to in-person learning. In furlough status, employees who receive benefits will retain those benefits under the State’s state of emergency. They are also eligible for unemployment benefits. 

The BGPS budget is largely (80%) dedicated to paying for staff salaries and benefits. The state funds school districts based on student enrollment, and Battle Ground’s enrollment at the beginning of this school year was down by 1,100 students, or about 9% less than projected. 

The enrollment drop and resulting decrease in revenue means that the district will need to adjust its expenditures for the 2020-21 school year. The Battle Ground district began planning for and mitigating the potential financial situation over the summer. 

“The budget is a plan,” said Meagan Hayden, the district’s Chief Financial Officer. “It gives us a place to start and a direction. Now that we have more concrete enrollment numbers, we can make more certain adjustments and maintain our fiscal responsibility.”

One example of what the district has done to reduce the budgetary impact of the enrollment drop is a hiring freeze. The district implemented a hiring freeze across the board last June, and has 60 positions, including teachers, classified staff and administrators that are unfilled and will result in about $6 million in budgetary savings. In addition, the board approved last month the furlough of 107 classified staff. 

Other savings will occur organically, Hayden said. Fewer students means that schools need to purchase fewer supplies and will have reduced costs. Utilities will be less while the district is in a remote learning status.

Still, remote learning and in-person learning during the public health crisis also comes with increased costs. The district has invested in technology, online curricula and networking upgrades to support remote learning. Hotspots in particular to provide connectivity to students in rural areas have been a significant investment. The district has also purchased personal protective equipment and made safety adjustments to buildings to prepare for in-person learning.

As the Battle Ground school district gains a better understanding of ongoing budget impacts related to the health crisis, additional layoffs are possible. The district also has a rainy day fund balance set aside for occasions such as this.

Battle Ground Public Schools employs approximately 1,500 people in a full, in-person learning environment, of which 685 are in classified positions.