Superintendent John Anzalone said the district plans to use money from its general fund reserves to make up for a $7.2 million budget deficit heading into the 2024-2025 school year
Carleen Johnson
The Center Square Washington
Tuesday (Sept. 3) marked the first day of school in Camas, in southwest Washington, where the district is grappling with budget projections that show tough times ahead.
At a Camas School Board meeting last week, Superintendent John Anzalone told the school board “rising costs, lagging revenues and a state-funding model that is not aligned with … real-world costs of running a school district,” are to blame.
Anzalone said the district plans to use money from its general fund reserves to make up for a $7.2 million budget deficit heading into the 2024-2025 school year.
Camas is not alone in its budget dilemma, as several other districts face similar trials.
“In Seattle it’s probably the most devastating right now,” said Anzalone. “They have proposed closing 20 schools by next school year, which would be one of the largest single district closures nationwide in the last 10 years. Five districts are now running in the red, including Marysville.”
Anzalone then showed board members news reports about Marysville and Vancouver school districts’ financial woes.
“It shows that we’re not alone and we’re doing the best we can and working really hard with our partners and bargaining teams to leave no stone unturned,” said Anzalone.
According to a four-year budget projection, Camas’s $131.6 million in expenditures will exceed its $124.4 million in revenues.
The district is facing significant budget cuts next year to avoid going into what is known as “binding conditions” with the state.
In binding conditions, the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and Educational Service District 112 would require the district to make specific cuts to stabilize the budget.
The district has already cut $700,000 from this year’s budget, with Anzalone detailing where those cuts are being made.
“We will eliminate six positions at the central office after a six-month runway,” he said, explaining that the district wanted to give employees some time to build their resumes and look for other work.
“This is not easy news to take but I felt as though that was something that was as far away from the classroom that we can go, but also showing some grace to our employees and give them some time,” Anzalone said.
He explained that he and other district leaders and managers will take six unpaid furlough days during the school year, staggering those out so there aren’t multiple people gone on the same day.
Other cuts include reducing materials and supply budgets, restricting travel, and eliminating return bus transportation for student-athletes attending away games in Clark County.
According to the Camas School District website, there are 7,235 students enrolled in the district, with $15,372 spent per student each year.
This report was first published by The Center Square Washington.
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Last year, Camas and Evergreen School District teachers and staff participated in an illegal strike to get higher pay, instead of opening the doors for students.
The strike began August 28, 2023, and doors did not open to students until September 7, 2023. $15,372 spent per student each year for shorter and shorter school years seems very generous. This is the Camas School Calendar, including half days, late starts, in-service days, non-student attendance days ( not open to students), holidays, winter break, spring break etc..
(number of instructional days. WA State law requires a total of 180) noted on the Camas School Calendar, In the old days, when the 180 instructional days were set, they were full days in most school districts. Camas was one of the school disctricts to lead the way in reducing full school days by starting early release, counting a partial day as a full day, and offering some programs for pay after early release. They also changed parent teacher conferences previously held after school hours, to holding them during school hours instead, another week of half days for elementary students.There are 42 partial days on the school calendar for elementary students, about 17 for middle school and high school. The Camas School district gets the same amount of funding for a partial day as a full day. Graduation is held before the last day of classes, reducing the number of instructional days for seniors who may have a heavy load to complete with senior projects etc. Other school districts began early release and partial days, now widespread it seems. If funds followed the student, families and students could select the school system that best supports the education and needs of the student, as is offered in other states.
Please note that Mr. Anzalone did NOT offer to take a pay cut from his $264,292.00 pay plus GENEROUS BENEFITS; just fire some low paid people that probably need their job. He probably needs that Tesla and the Porsche in his garage?
How many “administrative” positions were created during the pandemic when Camas and other school districts were awash in federal and state monies? How many employees are actually “working” and not in a cubical surfing the ‘net? Or maintenance employees hiding in their vehicles on a residential side street sleeping instead of working on buildings?
Every school district in the area did this – thinking that the money would never go away they spent it away on other things that they thought were a priority – at the expense of every child’s education.
The Camas school superintendent never mentioned why they are receiving less money from the state. It is because they have “lost” hundreds and hundreds of students despite our growing population here. Parents are done with the very sub-standard education offered by public schools. Private school attendance is growing rapidly and every child that left the Camas system costs the district about $11,000 in lost state money.