Special education, nursing take hits in SKSD budget cuts

What was supposed to be a week of celebration for educators and school nurses has turned sour as the South Kitsap School District approved $4.5 million in cuts for the next school year, including staff reductions.

The school board approved a “reduced education program” at a special session May 10 at Marcus Whitman Middle School. Roughly 52 full-time equivalent positions are up for elimination or reduction in hours, ranging from custodial to security to health services and beyond.

On the chopping block are those in the Office of Special Services, namely nurses, hours of health assistants and paraeducators. The board later decided not to cut one credit recovery and two RN positions, reducing the original number of FTEs from 55 to 52.

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Director Jeff Daily was the only vote against the resolution. He favored the return of special education positions over nursing staff. “I’m not against nurses. My mother and my sister were both emergency room trauma care burn victim nurses, so I kind of got that down, but they didn’t teach.”

Director Kate Espy spoke in favor of the amendment, saying nurses are important in the lives of students.

Superintendent Tim Winter apologized for the bad timing of the proposed cuts, as both Teacher Appreciation Week and National School Nurses Day were being celebrated. He also said: “I understand, from a special ed perspective, it is hard work, and there is a lot that goes into that, and the last thing I want to do is make it harder for you. So we’re going to continue to work on that.”

The cuts were hinted in February when the budget amount stood at $9.5 million, a gap created by the evaporation in funding related to the pandemic, a slight increase in staffing and low attendance, which decreases the amount of state money the district receives. The gap has since reduced due to increases in state funding of special education and other factors.

Theresa Johnson said it’s another step in the wrong direction for a district that is seeking to pass a bond for the first time in over 30 years. “The number one reason that 50% of this community does not support bonds and levies is because they don’t trust the district,” she said. “They don’t think you spend the money correctly, and if word gets out about these cuts, that’s just going to solidify what they believe.”

Over 100 people, including nurses, teachers and parents, showed up to support a nursing and special education staff they say is already overloaded prior to word of the potential cuts.

Nicole Oliver is a nurse at Burley-Glenwood and Hidden Creek Elementary who said the proposed cuts would make her responsible for around 1,500 students at a time. “You wouldn’t want your own child, you wouldn’t want your grandparent or family member or any loved one taken care of that way, so I beg the board to not make us take care of our students that way,” she said.

Rebecca Chandler, a nurse at Sunnyslope and South Colby Elementary, said that as of May 3 there have been 41,784 health room visits by students and staff districtwide, including over 2,500 head injuries and 14,600 visits related to diabetic care. “These cuts should not come from positions that are directly related to the health and safety of our students,” she said. “If these positions are cut, then the office staff is going to have to see these thousands of kids, and it’s going to overwhelm them.”

Likewise, special education teachers report their workload is overwhelming and cuts are unacceptable. Courtney Nichols, a resource teacher at Olalla Elementary, fought back tears as she reported having to work up to 60 hours each week due to an overflowing caseload. She asked the board how it expects the workload to be made up.

“Our paras are some of the most dedicated, and many of them have thankless jobs, and they already are not paid adequately for their dedication,” she said. “Also, we can’t, special education teachers, can’t do their jobs without them.”

Some wonder if the cuts are really needed. Lora-Jean Piper, an Explorer Academy teacher and long-time employee, said she’s been through this several times, and it always results in the permanent loss of valuable employees. She also recalled when employees were contacted the following October asking if they want their jobs back. Many times they were already hired elsewhere.

“Every time we have either done the RIF (Reduction-In-Force) scare or the RIF, by fall we are scrambling, absolutely scrambling, to find teachers and people to fill the teaching positions and the spaces that we have cut.”