Seattle superintendent says he has developed a “Budget Gap,” 
receives pay raise as he describes plan to lay off teachers and cut programs

Seattle School Superintendent Larry Nyland recently sent a letter to every public school parent in the city, saying he has developed a “Budget Gap” in his spending plan for next year. He says he plans to lay off teachers and cancel learning programs for students if he doesn’t get more money.

Despite rising revenues, he says he wants people to pay more in taxes so his budget can be larger. The letter carries a dark tone of fear – indicating parents, teachers and students will suffer unless higher taxes raise Nyland’s budget beyond the record level of $789 million the District receives each year.

The superintendent’s intimidating letter raises questions about current high funding levels and whether Superintendent Nyland is properly managing public resources to educate students.

Record high school budget

State records show that in recent years Washington’s taxpayers have provided unparalleled, historic increases in funding to all schools in the state. Seattle’s district budget, the largest in the state, provides just one example. Since 2011, Seattle school officials have received an increase of $212 million, a stunning 37% increase in just five years.

Here are the numbers, as reported by Seattle Public Schools:

The larger budget is not due to big increases in enrollment, which has increased only slightly. Per-student spending has increased by over $3,000 since 2011. Public spending per student is now more than the tuition charged at many private schools.

Much of this money, however, does not reach the classroom. Public records show that 44% of school funding never leaves the central office.

Superintendent gets a pay raise

While Superintendent Nyland says he has a “Budget Gap,” he has found money to increase his pay. The superintendent’s salary is now $295,000, plus $55,000 more in benefits. He has increased spending in the central office by nearly $100 million in five years.

Meanwhile, Superintendent Nyland oversees an assignment policy that sends many children to failing schools based on zip code. State officials have identified 10 schools in Seattle as among the worst-performing in the state.*

Secret meetings with unions

In addition, last fall Superintendent Nyland conducted a series of secret, off-the-record meetings with the highly-paid executives of the powerful WEA union, resulting in a closed-door agreement that skewed public spending in the union’s favor.

According to the Public Disclosure Commission, WEA union executives run the most well-funded lobby operation in Washington, and they are a powerful force in Seattle politics too.

Opposes popular charter schools

School officials say all their spending policies are “for the children,” but district leadership is strongly opposed to allowing families to attend popular charter schools and escape failing schools.

Only the protection of state law has allowed a few charter schools to open in the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

The people of Seattle and Washington state are generous in supporting schools, a fact confirmed by the astonishing amounts of money the public provides for education. Yet no matter how much school budgets increase, like 37% in Seattle, it never seems to be enough.

New leadership needed

Superintendent Nyland says he is planning community “Budget Gap” meetings to get ideas on how to lay off teachers or raise people’s taxes, or both. A better question is, “How have you mismanaged records levels of money ($789 million and rising) and put Seattle families in this vulnerable position in the first place?”

If the current superintendent is having trouble managing such a large budget, maybe the state’s largest school district should hire a better leader who can handle it.

Feeling the system is rigged

The tactic of claiming a “Budget Gap,” after receiving the biggest budget ever, undermines public trust and contributes to the feeling that the system is rigged against ordinary people. Scaring parents and threatening to cut teachers is not the way to build confidence in public education and ensure that every child learns.

*Seattle’s state-identified failing schools are: Hawthorne Elementary, Highland Park Elementary, Interagency Programs, Madrona K-8 School, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, Private School Services, Rainier Beach High School, Seattle World School, Cascade Parent Partnership, Emerson Elementary

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