Budget woes hit Seattle, Tacoma, and Marysville schools

Seattle Public Schools is grappling with a budget shortfall of over $100 million, prompting the district to plan the closure of 20 elementary schools.

SEATTLE - Seattle Public Schools is grappling with a budget shortfall of over $100 million, prompting the district to plan the closure of 20 elementary schools.

The district is holding a meeting tonight at Roosevelt High School to address these controversial cuts. From North Sound to South Sound, budget issues have put some of the biggest districts in the state in a bind.

In Tacoma, the district faces a $15 million budget shortfall, leading to the proposed elimination of career-guidance counselors. During a packed school board meeting last week, parents and students expressed their frustration.

"Losing these positions is going to impact Tacoma’s most marginalized students," said one concerned parent.

"Much of the work of the displaced members will fall on the plates of already overworked and overloaded educators," remarked one teacher.

Responding to the concerns, Tacoma Public Schools had this to say:

"As we have navigated our budget shortfall, TPS has prioritized keeping cuts away from the classroom and avoiding layoffs of any school staff. For the 2024-2025 school year, we decided to shift our career guidance specialist into different roles. There are currently four Career Guidance Specialists across TPS, each will be assigned to a new role for the 2024-205 school year, but building locations are not yet determined. No one who is currently in the role of career guidance specialist is being laid off."

Meanwhile, in Marysville, the district is dealing with an $18 million deficit. Parents, teachers, and paraeducators have united in protest, accusing the superintendent of mismanagement. They have called on the district not to renew his contract. The teachers union recently reminded officials of their "no confidence" vote in his administration, especially now that Marysville is being cut from the Washington Schools Insurance Risk Management Pool, due to unpaid legal settlements and poor building maintenance.

"At this point in time, we do not have insurance protection," said J Hooman, a Marysville Pilchuck alumni and district parent. "To my knowledge, there has never been a district within Washington State that’s been dropped from their insurance coverage."

Hooman believes that the district will likely pay up to 30% more for replacement insurance. She claims to have uncovered documents showing a lack of transparency and believes the district has been inflating numbers to hide the true extent of their financial woes.

FOX 13 has reached out to Marysville Schools for a response.

"This all boils down to a lack of accountability and a lack of checks and balances from the state," Hooman stated. She suspects that the budget struggles faced by districts are linked to plummeting public school enrollment. "I think the big majority of schools that are facing issues like this have banked on inaccurate enrollment numbers."