Image of the exterior of South Salem High School’s add-on building. Photo taken by Connor Stewart
Although the Salem-Keizer School District has only reached halfway through its first semester, they have already found discomfort with a monetary blockade. This blockade has been an elephant in the district’s room for previous months. To match words with numbers, Salem-Keizer must cut its annual budget by approximately 73 million dollars, meaning vital changes will soon arrive.
Standing atop this issue is the district superintendent, Andrea Castañeda, who won the job during the 2022-2023 academic year. Throughout previous weeks, Castañeda has given multiple statements to local news stations regarding this district-wide dilemma. Adding to her interactions with the public, Castañeda has begun uploading videos on the district’s official YouTube channel, Salem-Keizer Public Schools. Going in-depth for said videos, Castañeda details the proposed budget cuts, sourcing debt relief from several fields.
November 29, 2023: Budget Cut Video One
Revealing the outline of her proposals, Castañeda said that following these actions allows her to alleviate 30 million dollars from the district’s burdens. Listing off multiple monetary restrictions, the first of which Castañeda revealed regarded the base salaries of senior district leaders. The proposal envisions 63 senior district leaders seeing their base salaries frozen. In addition, Castañeda will provide 30,000 dollars of her salary to the cause, including the following year. Following this, another expenditure to receive the boot is the district’s outright spending and its investment in technology.
We are entering a period in which we need to make do with less and we are creating the plans to do so.
– Castañeda said in a November 29, 2023, SKPS YouTube video.
Staying on the message of less is more, purchasing new district vehicles will become a suspended action.
“We can do what we need to do with what we currently have,” Castañeda said.
Serving as the final reduction conference travel for programs such as avid and dual language will be reduced. Castañeda believes they can continue support if they practice more economical training.
These four proposed budget reductions total to be worth seven million dollars, reaching close to a third of the 30 million dollar goal.
November 30, 2023: Budget Cuts Video Two
Coming back the following day, Castañeda released more proposed budget reductions, this second group ringing to the tune of 19 million dollars.
Leading the second group was the proposal to adjust the structural integrity of the district’s financial safety cushion. Due to the size of the SKPS organization, they are allowed funds for debt payoffs. Specifically, the district has retained the process of adding additional money to its purs fund, serving the purpose of preparation for future change. However, the district has enough funds to contribute to the debt crisis, negating any harm to the original fund.
“We have created a responsible cushion that can safely cover our debt, we will not touch our cushion and we will not reduce our debt service payments. What we can now do is remove the extra and redirect the savings toward current funding challenges. This will have no effect on anyone’s paycheck or anyone’s retirement security,” Castañeda said in a November 30, 2023, SKPS YouTube video.
Increasing New Programs and Aesthetics? Not on the District’s Mind
For the most aesthetic and materialistic reduction so far, the district will reduce funding for in-school furniture and playground equipment. This falls in line with Castañeda’s previously mentioned mindset of working with what the district has.
Restricting the growth and opportunities for new Career and Technical Education programs also falls in the district’s pile of non-essential priorities.
“Our 56 career and technical programs are amazing. Everywhere I go I hear parents and students talk about how it is changing lives. But, right now is the time to make sure to protect what we already have before we start creating new things,” Castañeda said.
Similarly to Castañeda’s first budget-related video, her second video encompassed four proposals for improvement of the district’s financial health. For her second video, her fourth proposal regarded the rates the district charges outside organizations for using their facilities. Castañeda wants this practice to continue for the district. However, she does wish to increase the rates so they will finally cover the costs of these rentals.
Total Budget Relief Announced, More to Come
After two days and two videos, Castañeda and the district have revealed monetary restrictions that allow 26 million dollars of debt relief. To follow this up, a third and final video will be released during the inaugural week of December, covering the last of the budgetary plan.
This is an updating story and the Clypian will provide additional information as it is released.
Update: December 7, 2023, 12:41 a.m.
December 7, 2023: Budget Cuts Video Three
Wrapping up Castañeda’s three-part monetary aid plan, her third and final installment officially hit the public on December 6, 2023. Including this, Castañeda and the district have drawn proposals to clear approximately 31 million dollars from the district’s total debt. From a general standpoint, 31 million dollars seems extreme, but from the view of the district, it only represents a fraction of the necessary work needed.
In retrospect, the previous rounds of budget-limiting proposals had no permanent or career-ending detriments. However, when comparing those to this round, the increase in workforce impact is exponential. Demonstrating this is Castañeda’s proposal to eliminate 46 staff positions, which will affect multiple Salem-Keizer career types. Accounting for 1% of the Salem-Keizer workforce is district administrators such as Castañeda. Out of that employee category, seven positions will face termination. Regarding the remaining terminations, 10 of them will source from licensed positions, meaning these employees obtained and now hold a state-issued educational license. As for the final 29 positions, Castañeda referred to them as ‘classified positions,’ not clueing the public in on any details.
Castañeda and the district found these positions open to termination as they do not serve her biggest priority, the students. All budget-related terminations will become effective as of July 2024.
“All of these positions provide valuable services, but they are mostly district-level services,” Castañeda said in a December 6, 2023, SKPS YouTube video.
After calculating these positional terminations, they totaled to be worth five million dollars in debt relief.
Planning Community Involvement Throughout the Year
In the late Winter, Castañeda will host another round of community conversations regarding benefits and detriments within the budget reductions. Once again, these will take place at all comprehensive Salem-Keizer high schools. Following this, in the Spring, Castañeda will have completed her work with the district and will have the means to present the public with a new academic budget.
Next year will be a lean one [year] for Salem-Keizer students and staff, but we hope that will be temporary because the painful work is the reductions and the real work is achieving a dramatically improved approach to public school funding starting in 2025.
– Castañeda said.
