Nyland Speaks Out About Seattle Schools' Deficit

Update: I note that the Times had this up on their front page webpage for just a couple of hours before it disappeared into their Op-Eds links. Hmm.

end of update

The op-ed in the Seattle Times is like many adminstrative missives; kind of bland, kind of vague and without much real strength behind it.

Next school year, Seattle Public Schools projects a $74 million shortfall. The state is responsible for virtually all of that shortfall. Thirty million dollars of the projected deficit is from the state’s premature reduction of our local levy; the state is taking away our ability to use voter-approved local taxes while at the same time not fully funding education. 

Another $41 million represents the difference between what the state provides for compensation, class-size reduction and increased graduation requirements and the true cost. The remainder, about $3 million, is associated with opening and providing services to new schools, a necessary action to address our increasing enrollment.

That's a poignant picture except that we all know that $41M in "compensation" included COLAs for virtually every single employee in the district.

We all know that compensation was a raise for the Superintendent and a COLA for the Superintendent.  He left that out of the op-ed.

He doesn't mention that there are 200 people making more than $100K per year in the district.  He doesn't mention that the district could save $1M just by eliminating the Executive Directors and their direct supervisor.

What is equally troubling is that he doesn't mention that there are other districts that are facing the levy cliff.  You know, that other districts are also in trouble.

He doesn't say the Governor should be calling a special session immediately for the levy cliff to be solved.

I'm not sure what this op-ed was supposed to do but maybe it was just on the Superintendent's end of the year checklist.

It's not going to move anyone to action.