Local schools would lose 60 teachers and 60 other employees next year under a budget-cutting plan Salem-Keizer School District leaders released Monday. That’s part of an effort to cut $23 million from expected spending next year. The state’s second-largest district is losing nearly 1,000 stud ents per year, which means less state money coming in to pay school operations. Salem-Keizer Superintendent Andrea Castañeda said it’s possible the district can avoid layoffs by moving employees to jobs that are vacant. As of Monday, 80 employees have notified the district of their intent to retire at the end of the school year. The plan is preliminary, and any cuts would be part of the district’s final budget which is approved by the school board, typically in June. If the cuts necessitate layoffs, the school board would have to authorize that step. The school district expects to spend about $619 million in its general fund this year. Without cuts, that number would rise to $640 million next year because of wage increases and rising costs for benefits and pensions. “Salem-Keizer is not in financial crisis. We’re getting ahead of a predictable problem, so that we do not start burning our reserves too early,” Castañeda said in an interview. Other districts around the state are making similar cuts. Portland Public Schools is eliminating hundreds of jobs to close a projected $50 million budget gap. The Salem district last made deep cuts in 2024, laying off about 110 employees and eliminating about 370 jobs. Here’s what to know about the plan. Planned cuts 120 school employees, $14 million. Split between teachers (60) and classified employees like instructional assistants and office workers (60). Nine main office employees, $1.2 million. Specific positions not listed, and most affected are vacant, Castañeda said. $3 million in school bus replacements $2 million in computers and technology $2.8 million in other district expenses, including travel, outside consultants and general operating costs Some schools would lose teachers, others get more Cuts to employees in schools are driven by declining enrollment. The district has lost 3,900 students over the past five years, with just under 37,000 students enrolled this year.  It’s forecast to lose another 4,500 students by 2030. “We cannot afford to ignore this problem. We can now see its scope,” Castañeda said, referring to recent enrollment projections. Castañeda said the cuts wouldn’t change the district’s student-to-teacher ratio. The district has 65 schools, so on average each school would lose about two employees. But actual cuts will vary based on school size and enrollment. Some elementary schools will instead get additional teachers. That’s part of efforts to improve how students are taught to read. To do that, district leaders are spending more money to cut the number of blended classrooms in half. Those are classrooms where teachers teach students in two grades. Castañeda said the plan would nearly eliminate blended classes of kindergarten and first grade students. Learn more School district officials will hold two sessions for the public to learn more about the proposed cuts and weigh in. Tuesday, Feb. 3, Career Technical Education Center, 3501 Portland Rd. N.E., 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4, Houck Middle School, 1155 Connecticut St S.E., 6-7:30 p.m. No cuts to sports, arts, career programs, curriculum The district won’t cut “programs that students have told us matter most to them,” Castañeda said. Those include mental health, music, fine arts, career and technical education, athletics and dual language. “We know that these are the things that help bring our students to school, help them feel a sense of community when they’re in school, and help them stay in school,” she said. She said the district also won’t slow its planned spending on new curriculum, including $11 million to update elementary reading and writing coursework next year that teachers and district leaders say is long overdue. There is also no plan to cut the district’s support for free bus passes for students, or its equity and advancement office, Castañeda said. Several school board directors last year suggested cuts in those areas, but failed to win a majority of the board’s support. No cuts to employee wages, days of school Teachers would still receive their negotiated raise of 3.5% in July. District leaders in December approached teacher union leaders about reducing that raise to 1.5%. Cutting teacher raises would also have cut raises for district principals and other managers and administrators, whose raises are tied to the teacher raise by district policy. Maraline Ellis, the Salem Keizer Education Association president, said members strongly opposed that concession. Castañeda and school board members said they wouldn’t call for furlough days, when schools are closed and employees are unpaid. They said the existing school year is already too short, and cutting class time would hamper efforts to improve what students are learning. Older school buses, computers Students in Salem will ride buses without air conditioning for longer than they otherwise would have as a result of cuts coming at the district level. The pace of replacing buses would slow, saving $3 million but leaving students still riding in buses without cooling. Castañeda said the district also evaluated where employees consistently spent less than budgeted. Money not used for budgeted purposes often is spent to add jobs or programs mid-school year when a clear need emerges. Last year, such spare money was used to expand its behavioral intervention program to Straub Middle School so more students could receive intensive help. The result, she said, is “we have lost most of our flexibility to be able to make really smart and strategic changes in the middle of a budget year.” The district also plans to cut $2 million planned for computers and software. Contact Managing Editor Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241. LOCAL NEWS DELIVERED TO YOU: Subscribe to Salem Reporter and get all the fact-based Salem news that matters to you. Fair, accurate, trusted – SUBSCRIBE The post What to know about the Salem-Keizer School District’s $23 million proposed budget cuts appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less