Ryan's Watch ... July 21
Hello again WEA-Eastern friends.
Following is an update on School District Consolidation.
Last month the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) released their proposed final study on the potential savings associated with school district consolidation. You can find the report here.
For those of you who teach in small school districts, particularly districts of 500 kids or less, it really is well worth your time to download the report and give it a look.
Several Eastern districts are pointed out for having per-pupil apportionments above $10,000 per student--Benge, Almira, Creston, Endicott, Evergreen, Garfield, Harrington, Lamont, Oakesdale, Onion Creek, Sprague, Steptoe, and Washtucna--and on the expenditure side, 3 of the 4 most "expensive" school districts based on per-pupil expenditures are in our region.
The report goes on to point out that the money invested into small schools is an incredibly small percentage of the overall education budget, and that any savings here are minimal when put into the context of the overall picture. That helps, but I would still encourage all of you to think critically about your district--what makes it special? what story would you want legislators to know?--so that if (really, when) the issue comes up again you're ready with a response.
If you want to get deeper into the report you can watch the testimony done before the committee here.
You can also read the take from the Washington State School Director's Association, here.
Please call or
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if you have any questions!
Ryan.
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