PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School Board approved a resolution to give Superintendent Jane Pryne authorization to lay off as many as 15 employees for the coming school year, but no one on the board believes it will actually result in pink slips.
“There is a 1 percent chance of this happening,” said School Board member Patti Happe on Monday night.
The authorization — necessary because notices must be sent out by May 15 — includes the possibility of pink slips for five teachers and 10 support staff members, but Pryne said she believes that if any reduction in the number of district employees actually is needed, it will be taken care of through retirements and other voluntary departures.
“This is just to give the district some buffer,” Pryne said.
The district has reduced staff through attrition the past few years and has issued similar authorizations without actual layoffs.
In 2012, the board approved as many as 47 layoffs for the 2012-2013 school year, including 25 teachers and 22 classified staff if necessary, but it was decided none was needed.
Funding losses
The district’s projected student enrollment is expected to fall by about 70 students in the 2013-2014 school year, spread evenly across grade levels, Pryne said.
At the same time, funding from state and federal sources remains uncertain.
The district estimated that the impact of enrollment decline is about $100,000, with an additional $400,000 anticipated to be lost through federal sequestration and from other revenue sources.
That, combined with increasing expenses, creates a potential estimated shortfall of $500,000 for the 2013-2014 school year.
According to the March 2013 enrollment count, 3,626 full-time students were enrolled in the district.
The state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision requires the state to fully fund education.
The decision suggested that the state Legislature add $1.7 billion annually to school district budgets until 2018. The amount currently proposed by state senators is about $1 billion.
Board meetings
The board also approved moving district meetings to 7 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday of each month, beginning with the July 11 meeting.
The board currently meets the second and fourth Mondays of each month.
The change in meeting days would allow more time for notification of changes to board agendas, Pryne said.
She explained that changes to an agenda must be made at least 24 hours before the meeting, but with Monday meetings, the final changes have to be made Fridays.
If the Thursday meetings do not work for individual scheduling, the board may consider changing the meeting calendar again, she said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
