Faced with the threat of surrendering future financial decisions to the hands of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Coupeville School Board on Thursday approved a modified education plan that would reduce certificated staff positions and temporarily eliminate two educational programs.

Though Sherry Phay was the only nay vote, the remaining board members expressed their displeasure with the situation and were reluctant to approve the changes. Due to state law and contractual obligations, the board had to make a decision by next Wednesday, though more reductions will be announced by the end of May.

“The reductions we are facing are immense,” said Board Member Alison Perera at the board meeting. “This is the absolute last resort.”

According to Superintendent Steve King, the district is projected to end the year with a negative fund balance, which he called “dangerously low” in a message he sent to the community. To restore the fund balance to the required 6%, the district is expecting to cut $1.66 million from the upcoming school year’s budget.

Thursday, Board Member Morgan White said the modified education plan “is only a piece of those reductions.”

Currently, the district is on Northwest Educational Service District 189’s financial watch list, but according to the service district’s superintendent, Larry Francois, Coupeville’s situation is “a little bit more serious” compared to the other 27 districts on the list.

Under OSPI’s “binding conditions” — which are set for districts that end the financial year with a negative fund balance or that have to budget future receivables to balance their budget — the district can either resolve its financial troubles or fail and dissolve.

While administration recommended reducing certificated staff by five positions, the board suggested eliminating more positions during a workshop on April 18. King, therefore, asked to eliminate six positions.

Four of those are set to be eliminated by attrition due to employees resigning or retiring. If no other staff members announce they are leaving, then two employees may face layoffs.

According to information presented by King on Thursday, the expected effects of these reductions would include an increase in the size of some classes (except K-3 classes), teacher assignment changes, split classes at the elementary school and less electives offered at the high school.

Marc DeArmond, co-president of the Coupeville Education Association, said the district is already in need of more teachers because of an increase in students.

The Coupeville Education Association represents 65 certificated staff members, meaning that the cuts would affect about 9% of these positions. Certificated staff includes teachers, psychologists, counselors, special education teachers and more, according to DeArmond.

“The idea of losing them is terrible,” he said in an interview. “As a district that is growing with students there is absolutely no reason we should have to be cutting staff at the same time.”

With the cuts approved last summer, many teachers were given additional classes and feel overworked from spending more time in school, he said. Some of them, he said, confessed to him that they were “ready to retire” due to the burnout.

Because of staff reductions, the district will also temporarily eliminate two programs — Secondary Band/Music program and an Elementary Specialist Program. They might return if the financial situation changes.

The secondary band program is not as popular as initially anticipated, King said. According to his presentation, the high school band program counted 20 students in the 2019-20 school year, while the middle school counted about 60.

After the pandemic, these numbers plummeted. Currently, the high school band program counts six students, while the middle school program counts a little over 20. King wrote in an email to the Whidbey News-Times that he would expect a high school band class to have between 25 and 45 students.

This program costs the district about $160,000, he wrote in the email, which is a significant expense for a program with such low enrollment.

It is still to be determined what Elementary Specialist Program will be eliminated, but the choice could be between the STEM or the Art/Music programs, which King wrote cost between $100,000 and $120,000.

Perera said the cuts are the result of the board’s failure to address the dropping fund balance years ago.

DeArmond said the association has previously brought up concerns about funding allocations, but felt like those concerns weren’t being taken into consideration. Now, the district needs better accountability, oversight and transparency.

DeArmond, whose child is in the band program, said he has talked with families and students that are questioning whether they should stay in the district if band goes away.

During the board meeting on Thursday, some teary-eyed parents spoke about the impact the band program has had on their children’s mental health and confidence. Parents stressed the importance of keeping the STEM, art and music programs in a rural community where many families may not be able to afford private lessons.

These cuts are not final, the board cautioned, as more changes could be made in the summer.

“It’s not over by any means tonight,” Board Member Nancy Conard said.