Could closing the Marysville School District be the key to solving the $3 million deficit?

MARYSVILLE, Wash. — Marysville families are wondering and asking questions about this issue plans to close the district’s schools in the face of a $3 million budget deficit.

The last of three public meetings was held Monday evening at Marysville Middle School.

“They are facing staff cuts, in addition to cuts in schools and services and potentially sports, and potentially everything is on the table,” David Vinvek of Marysville told KOMO News.

With sticky notes on the wall, it didn’t look like a typical school board meeting, and parents said that’s what they liked about this more interactive and inclusive format.

“If we could see it, you would plot it on a map showing the population density of students in relation to schools. It might make more sense to redraw district boundaries and determine which schools would be best to look at for closures,” Vinvek added.

“We have to figure this all out,” said Laurell Lundgren Parratt, whose granddaughter lives in the district. Interim Superintendent Dr. Dave Burgess said the exercises conducted at earlier meetings had been productive.

“We had one situation where the recommendation was to actually consolidate the high schools and create one of the campuses for eight or nine years, and then one of them would have campus 10, 11 and 12, which we hadn’t even thought about,” he stated.

The district monitored school enrollment and capacity, as well as the condition, size and location of buildings, but no closure decision was made. The Marysville Educational Association hopes new district officials will help bring more students to Marysville despite projected cuts.

“What we’ve been going through over the last few years has made people unwilling to remain in this community, in this school district,” explained MEA President Becky Roberts. “We’ve been losing pretty consistently over the last few years, you know, probably anywhere from two to 400 kids a year.”

Dr. Burgess, who has been in his new role for almost a month, said he sees the district’s budget crisis as a two-pronged problem.

“What is your message to families as they work to navigate their budget situation?” asked Jackie Kent of KOMO News.

“It is very difficult because so many contracts have already been settled, employees have been hired, and the curator has no room for maneuver,” he said. “We need to apply systems thinking next year to ensure that the changes we make will help this district become financially solvent in the long term.”

Dr. Burgess estimates the district could save as much as $2 million a year by closing some campuses. Other cost-cutting efforts are expected, including administrative staffing at the county level.

There are even more meetings ahead for schools and district staff, as well as Spanish-speaking families, who make up approximately 30% of the district’s population. No timetable was given for a decision on the closure.