September 10, 2020 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
©
Shelton Mason County Journal. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 2 (2 of 40 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
September 10, 2020 |
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader ![]() |
Page A-2 Shelton-Mason County Journal Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020
By GordonMWeeks
gordon@masoncounty com
Four of the seven 'school districts in Mason Coun-
ty did not lay off employees in the wake of budget
cuts, while classified staff in the other three dis—
tricts lost their jobs.
Students in all seven districts are learning from
home.
The Southside School District didn’t cut employ-
ees.
“Because of the size of our district, being pre-
pared financially for hardships is necessary every
year,” Paula Flint, the district’s business manager,
wrote in an email to the Shelton-Mason County .
Journal. “We are uncertain of the final impact of the
pandemic on our budget, but for this year, we feel
we have enough in reserve to sustain.”
The Southside School District’s budget for the
school year is $3,622,022, an increase of about
$78,000 from the previous year.
The Pioneer School District did not lay off any
employees. '
The district’s budget for the 2020-21 school year
is $13,502,898, a dip from the $13,685,104 from last
year. .
“What has impacted our operating budget this
school year is the significantly reduced transporta-
tion funding along with decreased enrollment,” Su-
perintendent Jill Diehl wrote. “Despite the loss in
funding, Pioneer has strategically chosen to not lay
off any employees or reduce staffing.”
Pioneer temporarily furloughed eight classi-
fied employees, but the district continues to cover
the employees’ medical, dental and vision benefits,
Diehl wrote.
“When students return to school, all furloughed
employees will return to work in our district,” she
wrote.
In the Hood Canal School District, “regrettably,
we are in the process of reducing our staff due to
declining enrollment and reduced transportation
funding,” wrote Jeanie Beebe, the district’s direc—
tor of finance and operations. “The reduction of staff
may be a combination of furloughs and layoffs.”
' The district passed a 2020—21 budget of
$7,967,869, a 9% increase from the previous year,
Beebe stated.
N 0 employees were laid off in the Mary M. Knight
School District, which began the school year with
154 students.
tram“ “I am not looking at reducing
staff as long as we continue to
meet our enrollment projects and
state funding and apportionment
continue at the current levels,”
wrote Superintendent Matt Mal-
’ v, lery. He added, “If basic educa—
tion funding, small school fund-
ing, transportation funding and
LEA (Lower Education Agency)
all take reductions, we will have
to look at staff reductions.” ,
The Grapeview School District reduced heurs for
Mallery
bus drivers, cooks, custodians, secretaries and para '
educators.
“Our plan is to use Washington Employment Se-
curity Department’s Shared Work program,” wrote
Tracy Arkin-Mcguire, the district’s business man?
ager and human resources director. “This program
is a win-win for the' district and the employees, as
it lowers our payroll costs because of the reduction
of work hours, and it gives staff a portion of their
unemployment benefit payment for the hours that,
they do not work. During the pandemic the district
does not have to repay the unemployment cost as it
normally would as it is federally covered under the
CARES Act.”
The district’s budget for the 2020-21 school year
is $3,306,323, compared to $3,438,910 the previous
year.
NORTH MASON
The North Mason School District cut 42 posi-
tions, including bus drivers, food service employees,
para—educators and recess assistants. Those cuts
trimmed almost $1 million from the budget for this
school year.
Two failed levies means the district’s last local
property tax collection takes place in October, leav—’
ing the district with a $2-million reduction in local
levy dollars this school year.
“If we aren’t successful in another levy we will
have to cut another $2.7 million dollars,” Ashley
Murphy, the district’s director of business and fi-
nance, said at the Aug. 20 North Mason School
Board meeting.
No layoffs at four county school districts
The Shelton School District laid off 37'bus driv-
ers. Journal photo by Gordon Weeks
SHELTON
Paraeducators, bus drivers and custodians took -
the brunt of classified staff layoffs as the Shelton
School District passed a budget of almost $65.5 mil-
lion for the 2020-21 school year:
The district laid off 113 employees, including the
equivalent of almost 30 full—time paraeducators, 20
full-time bus driver positions — which means 37
drivers T‘eight secretaries, eight custodians, five
food service workers, two mechanics and one ac-
counting supervisor. The job of aquatic director was
, reduced from full time to half time. Stipends for
coaches have been canceled.
The layoffs will save the district almost: $6.8 mil-
lion, and budget reductions almost $3.1 million for a
total of almost $10 million.
SheltOn schools relieved by last-minute enrollments
By Gordon Weeks
gordon@masoncounty.com
The Shelton School District based
its $65.5 million budget for the 2020-
21 school year on the anticipation that
4,125 students would be learning from
home. v
So ‘district officials were alarmed
when fewer than 3,800 students and
their families had checked in last week
when the school year began. The state
allocates money to the district based on
enrollment.
That dilemma created “quite a few
sleepless nights” for Superintendent
We deliver
or U-lmul'
Alex Apostle, he told members of the
Shelton School Board Tuesday evening
at its regular meeting conducted via
Zoom. ’
District officials were relieved when
Brenda Trogstad, the district’s finance
director, announced that the official
enrollment tabulated Tuesday came to
4,215 students, 90 students more than
projected in the budget. That means
additional state money for the district,
“We didn’t have the numbers we
were hoping for last week, but we do
now,” Apostle said. He added, “That’s
glorious news, folks.”
When fewer than 3,800 students
NORTHWE
me.
TAYLOR TOWNE [llIARRY llfllll llPEN!
had checked in by logging into the dis-
trict’s online program, principals, as-
sistant principals and teachers began
calling families.
Principals volunteered to go door-
to-door to check in with families that
hadn’t checked in with the district,
Apostle said, but they were told that
wasn’t safe during a pandemic.
Many families chose to wait until af-
ter Labor Day to enroll.
The board also heard an update on
construction projects at Shelton High
School.
. Project manager Jeff Feeney said
the new softball and baseball fields are
7? A.
oENTAL
complete, and the new football field is
expected to be finished Saturday. The
district anticipates the new track will
be completed Sept. 18, and construc—
tion at the Mini—Dome by Sept. 28, he
said. The pool should be done by the
end of September, Feeney said.
The new gymnasium at Bordeaux
Elementary School is almost complete,
Feeney said. r ’
Feeney. pointed out the district'
started discussing these bond project
plans almost five years ago.:
“It’s starting to come together,” he
said. .
“It is together, Jeff,” Apostle replied.
Come see why
everyone is smiling!
95l W. KAMILBHE LANE Ill SHELTON NWRflcKfifllll
orturmnnnAv-relnn. 7AM-4l;ill
State Conn. Reg. No. NORTHRIOBSNO
$69
NEW Nil lL'N'l' l'X/‘lM
& X RAYS Sl’l.C[.-\ll
ANY DL‘N‘I AL
l'Rl..-\‘l"\1l'N'l
We provide implants, oral surgery, root canals, veneers,
crowns. bridges and more. llavc your dental work done
right here in Shelton and save the driving for the weekend_
182.9 Jefferson Street, Shelton - (360) 426—8401
.. i. 2 ;. ., ‘ wwwsheltondemaicentemom