Jeffco Public Schools to cut at least 150 jobs as district faces deficit

Superintendent Tracy Dorland had a blunt message for Jeffco Populace Schools Board of Training last year telling the elected directors what would happen when the time came to make deep cuts to the school district s budget They will mean people employees that we care about and rely on us she explained of the reductions during a June meeting So that will be hard when we get to that place The financial emergency looming over Colorado s second-largest school district began years ago well before Dorland warned of staff layoffs and hasn t abated in the face of expected cuts to K- coaching at the state and federal levels As a impact district agents will begin telling employees in mid-December whether they will still have jobs next school year Jeffco General Schools leaders estimate at least full-time positions will be eliminated in their efforts to slash million in spending according to a Nov presentation to the school board Even more budget cuts could come next school year if Jefferson County voters don t approve a million mill-levy override that district executives expect to put on the ballot in November in hopes of increasing revenue by raising property taxes Staff layoffs are going to be notable former school board member Susan Miller mentioned We just can t afford it Jeffco Population Schools financial situation is bleak The district has spent more money than its funding covered during at least two of the past three fiscal years and it is facing another million deficit for the - year all of which is requiring administrators to use money held in reserve to balance the district s nearly billion budget Current and former district officers explained the emergency at Jeffco Community Schools is the end of school boards even the ones they served on not responding expeditiously enough to declining enrollment and continuing to approve facilitator raises despite knowing the district didn t have enough money to pay for the compensation increases The president of the district s teachers union disputed placing blame on educators raises We got here because we kept saying we can pay for things we can t afford Miller revealed It s not to say we shouldn t compensate our teachers but I think there also has to be a reality check It will impact our schools Overall Jeffco Citizens Schools leaders hope to fill a million hole in the district s budget by making million in cuts and passing a million mill-levy override District officers stated they expect to reduce department budgets such as those for general administration and transportation by million to million including by cutting between and budgeted full-time positions as well as other services supplies and materials according to the Nov presentation Jeffco leaders revealed they will try to eliminate jobs as much as practicable through retirement and other staff turnover The cuts including any layoffs will be effective in June The goal Dorland commented in an interview is to make as a multitude of of the budget reductions as accomplishable away from the classroom and students But district leaders will still need to cut individual school budgets which could lead principals to reduce staffing in their buildings in addition to the or jobs being eliminated If such a decision is made then teachers and other employees affected by the reductions will be notified in early according to the presentation It will impact our schools unfortunately Dorland revealed It s going to have an impact across the system School administrators will decide how to make budget cuts in their buildings rather than district leaders she declared To help with the decision-making Jeffco Populace Schools hosted budget labs for families and staff to get their input on changes that could be made to alleviate budget pressures such as increasing fees for athletics and combining bus routes Living within the means of a shoestring budget is not a place you want to be yet here we are former school board member Stephanie Schooley declared Canary in the coal mines Jeffco Constituents Schools financial troubles are unique in that the district unlike its peers in metro Denver hasn t passed a local mill-levy override since which would increase revenue for schools But the district is also a warning sign of what is likely to come for K- systems as enrollment falls across Colorado and as both the federal and state governments weigh instruction funding cuts For years now fewer children have been enrolling in general schools as fewer Coloradans have babies In Jefferson County alone the school-aged population has declined since and enrollment in schools has dropped for more than a decade Jeffco saw both the school-age population and K- enrollment decline well before and on a larger scale than other metro Denver districts as the county s baby boomer residents have largely aged in place not moving homes and no longer having children who attend school declared state demographer Kate Watkins We were kind of a canary in the coal mines so to speak disclosed Miller the former school board member But she stated the district didn t respond swiftly enough to falling enrollment School boards just kicked the can down the road Miller announced Jeffco Citizens Schools has closed schools with low enrollment in the past four years a move that has saved the district about million per year but it wasn t enough to cover the budget deficit Enrollment in Jeffco Inhabitants Schools dropped nearly or by more than students between and according to material from the Colorado Department of Coaching Making matters worse K- district leaders across the Denver area received a shock this fall when enrollment in their schools fell at a higher rate than they expected Fewer immigrant children are attending school after helping to boost enrollment in current years a change district leaders attribute to the Trump administration s mass deportation efforts Jeffco Citizens Schools has about fewer children attending school this year than expected as overall enrollment fell or by students from last year to pupils during the - academic year according to preliminary input shared at the Nov board meeting It s a difficulty or challenge I do not think is going away Schooley revealed of declining enrollment It s going to have to be a series of hard decisions because those students are gone Teachers got raises and the district s deficit grew K- districts their pockets filled with federal relief money and staring down widespread staffing shortages began giving their teachers raises during the height of the pandemic Jeffco Citizens Schools was among those that prioritized pay increases for staff in order to help the district remain competitive in recruiting and retaining employees Dorland reported It was the right expenditure she announced But the federal money ran out and for Jeffco Citizens Schools the decision to keep giving teachers raises came with a cost as board members such as Schooley approved deficit spending We had appealed people to pivot so much in terms of how they were teaching and what they were doing during the pandemic and it felt like if there was any time at all that we were going to compensate above and beyond then good grief it needed to be then Schooley noted If the district continues to spend more money than it brings in Jeffco Community Schools reserves will drop to million by the - academic year less than a fifth of the nearly million currently held in savings according to the district s budget projections We knew it was going to come to this point Dorland disclosed We are at a point where we need to address the deficit because we need to maintain the remaining reserves Employee compensation makes up about of Jeffco Citizens Schools expenses but the president of the district s teachers union pushed back on the notion that raises are to blame for financial straits The real blame can be put on how we fund our schools in Colorado and it really shows a need for a mill levy that is tied to inflation because we can t pay our educators a living wage if we don t do that commented Brooke Williams president of the Jefferson County Teaching Association More K- districts eye budget cuts Declining enrollment and rising costs for physical condition insurance and other expenses are placing crucial financial pressure on K- school systems and as a product other metro Denver districts are also retrenching Adams Five Star Schools slashed jobs earlier this year to fill a million budget gap Denver Inhabitants Schools laid off central office employees but Superintendent Alex Marrero has warned that larger cuts and more school closures could be on the way Related Articles DPS warns of financial catastrophe after unexpected enrollment drop accomplishable funding cuts Colorado school districts brace for K- budget crunch by not filling jobs offering smaller raises Colorado set to receive nearly million after Trump administration releases certain frozen K- funding We re just at the beginning of seeing that type of situation going across the state disclosed Tracie Rainey executive director of the Colorado School Finance Project Multiple districts are giving teachers smaller raises with the Boulder Valley School District in talks with its teachers union regarding changes to educators salary schedule because district leaders are no longer sure they can afford to pay what was previously negotiated The Cherry Creek School District is looking for solutions to rein in spending without layoffs or cutting programs such as limiting overtime and managing substitute teachers the district s chief financial officer Scott Smith disclosed The Cherry Creek district expects to run a million deficit this year which will require its leaders to use reserves to balance the district s roughly million budget for the second time in two years I don t think we have to do layoffs Smith reported I think we can manage this through attrition Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter