Wahluke schools steer clear of teacher cuts

District able to cut nearly $800,000 in other areas

MATTAWA — While administrators continue to tackle overspending of the Wahluke School District's budget, the good news is that no cuts to certified staff appear to be likely.

Cuts estimated in the $800,000 range from other areas in the budget and identified sources of additional revenue have kept the district from having to let go of its certified staff.

"We really put the breaks on spending," said interim superintendent Cece Mahre.

The decision to cut positions such as business manager and associate superintendent of human resources at the district office, including cuts to supplies and materials and a reduction in classified staff, have enabled the district to improve its finances.

Classified staff can include classroom, library and other support aides that offer assistance in addition to certified teaching staff.

Additional sources of revenue from increased student enrollment and attrition from resignations and retirements, two areas Mahre said the district did not want to count on for sure initially, have become realistic possibilities as the district's bottom line for its budget improved.

The completion of a $20.4 million new high school, initially budgeted to cost $18.8 million, has caused much community concern in recent months regarding the district's overspending.

However, it is a concern Mahre addressed in a previous interview with the Herald by pointing out that the district got itself in a financial bind by overspending in all areas and not just the high school completion.

As the district continues to work through its budget dilemmas, Mahre prepares to hand her job duties over later this month to new superintendent Gary Greene.

"We are going to be frugal, we are not going to overspend and we are going to make decisions that are best for kids and make sure we represent what the community wants," Greene said.

Greene comes from the Davenport School District where he has been superintendent for five years. This is his 29th year working in the field of education, 22 of those years he has spent as a building administrator.

The WSD is larger than the school district Greene currently works for.

At the top of Greene's list of goals in his new position with the WSD is building strong relationships of trust among district administration.

Greene said he prides himself on building trust and making decisions in the best interest of students.