Copyright The Oregonian
Cynthia Richardson For The Oregonian/OregonLive Richardson chairs the board of directors for Salem-Keizer Public Schools. Last week, my colleagues on the Salem-Keizer School Board and I announced a $25 million reduction in the budget for next year, due to operating expenses far outpacing available revenue. This reduction is the second in three years and comes after the district recorded its first meaningful improvement in student outcomes since the pandemic. Just as we’re feeling hope about our momentum, we are facing growing concern about having the resources to sustain our progress. While no one can predict our financial future, school districts know enough to begin planning. Oregon’s economy is weakening, and federal tax changes are expected to cut into the state’s revenue and may force mid-year reductions of state funding for Oregon school districts. All who care about public education should be paying close attention to the state economist’s revenue forecast on Nov. 19 and the decisions that follow. A weak forecast could signal urgent financial challenges for all of Oregon’s public schools. Every school district will choose its response. But we believe the grave financial circumstances facing Oregon’s schools deserve a statewide conversation and broad public attention. As the leaders of the second-largest school district in the state, Salem-Keizer School Board members are building a plan centered on our responsibility to keep our schools focused on teaching and learning, not financial hardship. That philosophy is guiding the three actions we took last week. First, we identified a need to reduce $25 million from the 2026-27 budget. Absent this financial intervention, Salem-Keizer would deplete our reserves within two years. Taking this action now will help stabilize our financial future. Second, we publicly committed to prioritizing the length of our school year as one of the student-centered principles that will guide our financial leadership. Oregon’s school year is one of the shortest in the nation – 45th, according to the National Center on Education Statistics. That ranking is similar to where Oregon schools place in national academic standings. In Salem-Keizer, shortening the school year to balance the budget would be a last resort. Finally, we started a public conversation about a topic that is typically only discussed during bargaining: the trade-off between layoffs and the rate of salary increases in labor contracts. In Salem-Keizer, 95% of our general operating fund is budgeted to staff, and salary and benefits are increasing by 9% – $50 million – per year. The math is devastatingly simple. These are not choices the district can make on its own. Our labor partners own large portions of this decision, and we will work proactively with them over the coming weeks and months. Next September, the state assessment results from this school year will be released. The story of those results depends on our leadership today. In Salem-Keizer, we will stay focused on core academics and reading. We will continue looking into the financial future and acting to protect our stability. We will partner with our community and parents to support our students’ success and look forward to celebrating the progress shown in those results next September. But to get there, we must lead with urgency and courage – today.
