Board members overseeing the Vashon school district are expected to pass a $26.2 million budget, a roughly $873,000 increase over its current spending plan.
Discussing the budget last week, Vashon Island School District (VISD) Superintendent Michael Soltman said that the budget is “basically a straight rollover” from the 2016 plan due to the fact that there is “not a lot of new revenue from the state.” However, changes to this year’s budget include a 12 percent increase in capital spending, a 2 percent teacher salary increase and $150,000 for the hiring of three special education paraprofessionals — employees not certified to teach, but certified to assist teachers.
The $150,000 budgeted for these positions is funded partially out of the bargaining agreement between VISD and the local teachers’ union — Vashon Education Association (VEA) — and partially out of extra, unallocated general funds from the federal government. Soltman said that the district had initially planned for a 3 percent teacher salary increase. However, after bargaining with VEA concluded, the agreement called for a 2 percent increase in 2017. The money that was set aside for the assumed 3 percent increase this year was rolled back in to the budget to be used for the paraprofessionals.
Soltman said that during the bargaining process with VEA, teachers made it clear that more support was needed for special education.
“The highest priority this year was getting additional support into special education,” he said at the board’s June 9 meeting after the budget was presented. “Getting into a conversation with the association about how important (support for special education) is relative to other things (we wanted) to bargain, it was a very high priority at the table. And it wasn’t just a special ed. issue, these kids also spend a lot of time in regular ed. and, so, how do we support those kids success in regular ed.? By being staffed right and having paraprofessionals that could support that.”
School board member Zabette Macomber seconded Soltman’s thoughts about the importance of paraprofessionals outside of special education.
“The teachers I’ve talked to agree about how crucial paraprofessionals are for special education, but there’s lots of need for general education paraprofessionals as well,” she said.
Soltman said that the challenge has been students starting school at Chatauqua Elementary who present with behavioral disabilites. So, at Chatauqua, the district is adding a half-time teacher and additional paraproffessional to specifically deal with children with behavioral disabilities.
At McMurray Middle School, Soltman said the highest priority for teachers is to fully implement the integrated block program where a special education teacher and a regular education teacher co-teach.
“Two staff in a room at once is an expensive model, but a good model,” he said. “In order for them to do that well and get the planning time they need, they needed another paraprofessional, so we did that.”
Soltman said he is still in discussion with Vashon High School (VHS) administrators and special education teachers about how to best implement a paraprofessional there.
At VEA, president Martha Woodard, a social studies teacher at VHS, said that ………
Also in the 2017 budget, a 12 percent increase in capital spending that VISD board chair Bob Hennessey said is precautionary funds and comes from the passage of a new capital facilities and technology levy in April. More than 70 percent of islanders voted in the spring in favor of the levy that will collect $3.8 million over four years. The levy goes into effect next year an will result in $920,000 in tax revenue, $20,000 more than what the levy brought in in 2016.
Hennessey said last week that the extra capital funding was set aside for emergencies.
“The increase is for emergency contingency so we don’t have to do a budget adjustment if there is an unexpected capital expense,” he said last week. “The money won’t necessarily be spent, but we will be able to do so if we need to.”
Previous board discussions and district documents dealing with potential capital projects have focused on $200,000 to replace movable furnishings (desks, chairs) at Chautauqua Elementary School, $10,000 to add acoustic dampening to the Chautauqua gym and $10,000 to build a “confidential space” at the elementary school’s nurse’s office. At McMurray Middle School, highest-priority projects scheduled to use levy funds include: $95,500 to replace or repair the school’s windows; a $90,000 project to replace the school’s furnace; $227,000 to replace flooring and various upgrades to lighting. At Vashon High School, potential levy-funded projects include: $70,000 for new batting cages; $181,000 for tennis court renovations; $425,000 for fixing the pavement in the parking area and repainting older buildings (Building F, Building K). District buildings such as the bus barn and various sheds are also set to potentially benefit with roof replacements and exterior repainting.
While funding from the state has remained largely unchanged — budget documents show that 62 percent of the district’s revenue come from the state, 31 percent comes from local property tax and 6 percent comes from the federal government — the state, in the fall, passed a law mandating and fully funding full-day kindergarten programs. Chautauqua’s kindergarten program is now free to all families.
The spending plan was presented in a public hearing at the VISD board meeting on June 9. The five-member board is expected to vote on it at its Thursday night meeting.
