School map plans to handle teacher pay cuts

As schools around Whitman County begin to see the state’s 1.9 percent cut in funds to pay teacher salaries, it falls to each district how to accommodate that loss of funding.

Many school districts issued reduction in force, or layoffs, in early May in anticipation of losing funding from the state education department.

Now that the state has issued the final budget, school districts can more accurately examine their own budgets in light of possibly bringing staff members back on the payroll.

Some districts will maintain teacher pay levels by tapping reserves and others will cut salaries.

Facing a revenue shortfall of more than $5 billion, legislators in a state budget move cut salary funding for teachers for each district by 1.9 percent and for administration by three percent.

Whether or not the fund cuts evolved into actual pay cuts was left up the each district.

For Colfax, teachers will see the 1.9 percent cut, but regular raises in some teachers pay will mean some won’t see that cut, said Superintendent Michael Morgan.

“They are reducing our revenue by the same amount that the teachers are getting a cut in pay,” said Reece Jenkin, business manager for the Colfax district. As far as the state’s three percent cut to education administrators, Morgan said he will receive that cut directly. The two school principals will each be given three unpaid days off to offset a portion of the cut.

However, because districts lost additional funding from the state in areas outside legislative budget moves, the layoffs made in early May for the most part will not be reversed.

In an interview with the Gazette, Rosalia Superintendent Thomas Crowley said his district will make up for the loss of 1.9 percent funding by dipping into reserves. Teachers at Rosalia will not see a cut in their salaries.

“At Rosalia, we saw this coming and we built up a pretty good reserve that gives us the ability to weather the storm for a couple of years. We certainly hope it gets better within a couple of years,” said Crowley.

Like Rosalia, the Pullman district teachers won’t see a 1.9 percent cut in pay. Pullman Business manager Dan Hornfelt said the district will cover the 1.9 percent reduction from the state to compensate teachers from its reserves for at least one year.

In anticipation of cuts to the district, Rosalia laid off two para-aides, reduced its music program to half-time and reduced the superintendent position to part-time. Crowley said that the district will stick with those layoffs.

The Colfax school district faced a net loss of four teachers for the next school year, but will now open up one of those positions, sixth grade math teacher, for hiring.