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Wednesday, April 5, 2023

School board meeting draws hundreds as district ponders massive budget cuts

People lining up for the school board meeting. Photo by Tanner Phillips

By Diane Hettrick

The Shoreline School District is facing massive budget cuts as are many public school districts in the state. Districts are funded by the state based on the number of students enrolled in the district. Local special levies pay for technology, nurses, school advocates, construction and previously made up for some of the shortfalls in state budget funding.

During the pandemic, when schools had to reinvent their technology and teaching methods, first to remote learning and then to hybrid learning, many students left the district.

Some just dropped out. Others were enrolled in private schools, which stayed open during COVID-19. Others? No one really knows. And they didn't come back.


The enrollment in Shoreline has dropped enough that the district has a $16 million shortfall. The district is struggling with what to cut and everything not mandated is on the table.

Hundreds of people filled the Shoreline Room at the Shoreline Center for the school board meeting. Photo by Tanner Phillips


Hundreds of parents showed up at the school board meeting on Monday, April 3, 2023. Most were advocating for arts and music programs in the district.

The Shoreline PTA Council posted an advocacy link to send alerts and updates to subscribers HERE

The district has several online information sessions scheduled

Thursday, April 6, 5:00-6:00 pm
Zoom link: https://ssd412-org.zoom.us/j/83671867560?pwd=WlJVa1diL3lENmNtd0xBWHNsalRoUT09
Webinar ID: 836 7186 7560
Passcode: 163959

Thursday, April 6, 6:30-7:30 pm - 
Presentation and Q.A in Spanish
Zoom link: https://ssd412-org.zoom.us/j/87511372042?pwd=dEV2dmhUcThNRVg3WEZwSnNVSThsUT09
Webinar ID: 875 1137 2042
Passcode: 116785

Monday, April 10, 7:00-8:00 pm
Zoom link: https://ssd412-org.zoom.us/j/87546703104?pwd=d1hOcnpiMnVjU2VUc29IaTRDMWRrUT09
Webinar ID: 875 4670 3104
Passcode: 577824

Black and Brown Town Hall: Tuesday, April 13, 5-6:00 pm
Register in advance for this meeting: https://ssd412-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZErcuCgqjwsGdWKr2-rjkVLCMed6rrWfMja
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The Black and Brown Town Hall will be hosted by the Department of Equity and Family Engagement. Questions can be submitted in advance of the meeting using this form: https://bit.ly/BBTownHallQs


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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 5, 2023 at 6:22 AM

    Recent equity efforts are about to take a huge step backwards.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 5, 2023 at 2:10 PM

    Wouldn't it be nice if this country prioritized education as much as they do military spending. But alas, educators don't send millions to election campaigns and aren't prioritized for that reason.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 6, 2023 at 8:12 AM

    "But alas, educators don't send millions to election campaigns and aren't prioritized for that reason." Actually, they do. Through the National Education Association.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousApril 7, 2023 at 8:17 PM

    I’m not sure a 16 million dollar shortfall can be blamed on low enrollment.

    ReplyDelete

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