YAKIMA, Wash. – Students at Davis High School and Eisenhower High School walked out on Thu., March 28 to protest recent staff cuts in the Yakima School District.
Students reportedly walked out at 1:30 p.m. for the protest.
At a board meeting on Mon., March 25, a total of 124 YSD staff members learned that they were losing their jobs to support the district’s budget.
YSD says the cuts will save the district $14 million. The reason for the cuts is a trend of lower student enrollment since the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation.
Assistant Superintendent of Finance Jake Kuper said at the meeting that the district’s general fund balance would hit zero by the end of the 2023-24 school year.
This change in enrollment shocked the Yakima Education Association, stating that it did not see this coming.
“I want to know who’s going to be held accountable for all the spending, all the stuff that happens, and that we did not see this coming,” said YEA President Jon Cavanaugh. “I know you did not see this coming in the district.”
YSD noted in a later interview with NonStop Local that the district will still have more staff than it did in its peak enrollment year of 2017-18 where it hosted 16,233 enrolled students with 108 staff members per 1,000 students.
After the reduction, YSD will have 125 staff members per 1,000 students with 14,379 projected enrolled.
This is a developing story, which means information could change. We are working to report timely and accurate information as we get it.
