[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6190940,"mediaKeyId","5037030-ca34051e76e1230ee2408fba1126451a","parentId",5037030,"title","Parents, staff and union representatives press board on librarian cuts and school staffing","audioSeconds",2010,"startMs",1310000,"endMs",3320000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5037030-ca34051e76e1230ee2408fba1126451a&start=1310&end=3320","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5037030-ca34051e76e1230ee2408fba1126451a/thumbnail_1310000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6190940/Washington/Parents-staff-and-union-representatives-press-board-on-librarian-cuts-and-school-staffing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6190940-7be906b9aa1aa55f213341ec49a00a1e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770446018&Signature=TyEAFeW~oe1exqrpirDVKhybtEZE-WuCEqmSHa67VxgPTllMVGD0cJns5kCppjjrkZsH~eJ~1BRjv7qFfqlxEb~D3siG6KrljVcH1BExXrjdbKCE0WFSvTzMpI4ZstVcYRs5VHn8aKGwny9EByMtZ6r9IWS6lQ1i7kliPmlwcqZLmMz~FJKhpfHm8weFNhVUkMoTiZYPqIyXogpMbam2oTlgpztQD1rs~qUBY5mwL~Z8nVyup674BbaAOi2ew0mIfFwzhVCzMPFEYjxEZX3j25LxoTkNqGMi3ykH9EHt2n-d~B9ZaYzbYqJzDXo35WeYgLDmCPPlcrZ90Nc9V~DMFA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Yakima School District, WA","date","2025-06-21T00:30:58Z","article","During the public-comment portion of the Yakima School District Board meeting on June 17, multiple speakers urged the board to retain librarians and classroom staff and raised concerns about administrator transfers.

Teresa Maldonado, speaking during the public-comment period, told the board she has been discouraged from attending meetings and urged trustees to \"listen to the students from Washington Middle School\" and allow them to keep their vice principal. \"Don't be laying them off. Keep them because they're essential to our education,\" Maldonado said, adding that teachers often act as mentors and provide stability for students.

Francis (Franny) Guerrero of the Yakima Education Association told the board earlier in his report that he wants the board to understand educators’ purpose and warned against treating meetings as an afterthought. Guerrero specifically referenced staffing reductions: \"I don't see the point in scheduling a meeting to discuss the effects of cutting librarians when they've already been cut,\" he said, and urged more regular meetings between staff and the board so difficult decisions are discussed earlier.

Michael Clark of Ridgeview Elementary emphasized that K–3 class-size reduction funds represent both services and jobs. \"K 3 class size reduction funds. Those are jobs for our members,\" he told the board. Clark described the funds as \"educational services for our kids, and those are family wage jobs for our community\" and urged the district to maximize the funds each year.

Speakers requested clarity about who authorized librarian and teacher reductions and sought opportunities to engage the board directly on staffing decisions. Board members did not take formal action on staffing during the meeting; staff and board members did acknowledge the public comments and the need for continued dialogue.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Yakima School District Board Meeting June 17th, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Public commenters at the June 17 Yakima School Board meeting urged the district to retain librarians and school staff, requested that a Washington Middle School vice principal remain, and asked the board to maximize K–3 class-size reduction funds to preserve jobs.","taxTitle","Yakima School District, School Districts, Washington","taxId",14816,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6190945,"Board hears proposed edits to educational and racial equity policy 0550; talent recruitment flagged as only partially compliant",164,3468000,3632000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5037030-ca34051e76e1230ee2408fba1126451a&start=3468&end=3632","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5037030-ca34051e76e1230ee2408fba1126451a/thumbnail_3468000.jpg","/articles/6190945/Washington/Board-hears-proposed-edits-to-educational-and-racial-equity-policy-0550-talent-recruitment-flagged-as-only-partially-compliant","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6190945-1f37c859e1f716321e03855d7f5c8950/orig.mp4?Expires=1770446018&Signature=RVLpVyHVsA2D2ESyHQeZx~49WPFK0KMs4nz-vFMOB7qwzpPn~O5wcaO0G2ZUJtXyFXikey~ArPnafoo~hAd0wJ3kvAmLHLTsQtogm2-na9GWILMkor7kg845UDCokUZkyi7616kPKN8KoH8MzZiGQwxKFr7uI4pj7Fg9VB9X676I3kjuCtqbyZgTS~LbHssGxznEqklVkA5GlroeZupWspfM7xFca2hIokdPlQ1zt6-mC-rIj53l0gV9ASOZwxSMwTd6r9Z7ritvkPsj8G-ZKC0xK8aXyxNv2n0JS61zxaADf1-6nTQWbEdKjYEWvlwbJLfgUHoWEP-9Z6vsiMqmhg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the Yakima School District Board of Directors meeting on June 17, district staff presented monitoring information and proposed language changes for Policy 0550, the district’s educational and racial equity policy. Kirsten Fitterer, who presented the report, said the policy aligns with the district’s strategic plan and outlined four policy pillars: climate and culture; leadership and partnerships; talent recruitment and retention; and teaching and learning.

Fitterer told the board the district is in compliance with three pillars but is \"partially in compliance\" with talent recruitment and retention. She said Assistant Superintendent Anthony Murrieta proposed specific edits to the policy’s language, including changing a requirement phrasing from \"engaging all school personnel in cross cultural reflection and dialogue…\" to \"strive to engage all school personnel in cross cultural reflection…\" and a grammatical revision to the professional-development sentence to read \"provide relevant professional development to enhance employees' knowledge of and skills for eliminating racial and ethnic inequities.\" Fitterer summarized the submission: \"In summary, the proposal is for those language changes that we are partially in compliance, and still working toward compliance in number 3, and that we are in compliance, for, the other 3.\"

Board members asked whether a redline markup of the proposed edits had been provided in the meeting; staff responded that the changes were available in BoardDocs and that a SurveyMonkey regarding the policy would be sent to board members with a return deadline of July 14. The policy had been on the May 19 agenda and was tabled twice before returning for this discussion; staff said this presentation served as the monitoring report and the board would discuss or propose additional changes after reviewing the posted materials.

No formal board action was taken on Policy 0550 at the meeting; staff sought board feedback and flagged talent recruitment and retention for continued work and monitoring.","On June 17 the Yakima School District board reviewed Policy 0550 (educational and racial equity). Staff said three of four policy pillars are in compliance; talent recruitment and retention is only partially compliant and staff proposed wording changes.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6190950,"Yakima School District warns of potential federal cuts, cites healthy cash and clean audit",559,2232000,2791000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5037030-ca34051e76e1230ee2408fba1126451a&start=2232&end=2791","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5037030-ca34051e76e1230ee2408fba1126451a/thumbnail_2232000.jpg","/articles/6190950/Washington/Yakima-School-District-warns-of-potential-federal-cuts-cites-healthy-cash-and-clean-audit","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6190950-b3f4c2d9cab91975f0e2fcf101b335f7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770446018&Signature=CIRex5~48mlFCZYoPTX9M0fzvX7Jd7pXq1EdIwVWufaPRVyLGWzcAqseP-NwNdZYFevxl7tvhVK~uP92EScXwirPoGvEnycSgwBVWGaxwJVRPGFuKh0NepQlNKi0CTIzYb~0BS98DdfINTKWN~lgLxFwWUqn2CE89kETyLZJPJ8UrRsWmYOpazmOYKnlXfGRPzqn-b5ckzGuBQOfnrdyplMf--KoZi791TaD8CspVtnTVf-Aoe6d64H4iJYrpMKJffNc67NvqJRpDVr8G~bZPjaMXYFeug4bFYDtANetL2kvtSnU7Y8uWCNxsF5UEzxAtHteVG0dLFrODMv7xns2kg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the June 17 meeting of the Yakima School District Board of Directors, district finance staff warned that potential federal and state funding changes could tighten the district’s 2025–26 budget even as the district reported a clean financial audit and improving cash balances. Jake Cooper, who presented the monthly financial update, said federal Title I allocations for 2025–26 were about $700,000 lower for the district and that a possible federal “pocket rescission” could reduce funding later this fiscal year.

Cooper said those rescissions are a presidential tool that can become law if Congress fails to act and that state revenue forecasts also “are not looking good.” He added that the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) will short-pay districts in June and estimated Yakima’s short payment at roughly $30 per student — about $450,000 — though he said a one-time legislative increase will partially offset that amount.

The district also reported operational indicators the board asked to monitor. Cooper told the board that enrollment is “plodding along” but that kindergarten enrollment is down from historical levels; he said a typical kindergarten class has been 1,200–1,300 but the most recent class was “just under a thousand.” Cooper repeatedly emphasized cash management, saying, “Cash is king,” and noted the district’s cash is now above projection after expenditure reductions. He said the district’s cash position includes a $4.5 million tax anticipation note that the district will repay in December.

On external review, Cooper and other staff noted the district’s annual financial and federal audit returned no findings. Assistant superintendent and legal counsel materials presented to the board included the state auditor’s work; the district’s presentation to the board stated the audit was “clean” and that the auditors had completed about 300–350 hours of fieldwork for the financial and federal audit portion. The accountability portion of the state audit remains in progress.

Board members asked clarifying questions about what triggers OSPI binding conditions; Cooper said binding conditions typically follow if a district ends a year with negative cash or adopts a budget with a negative fund balance. He warned that some districts across Washington face “binding conditions” and that Yakima’s earlier reductions have improved its comparative position.

Cooper summarized possible next steps if midyear federal reductions occur: the district would need to take actions to align expenditures with revenues rather than carry unfunded programs forward. “If the feds do take money midyear, we will have to take some type of action,” he told the board.

The presentation preceded the board’s formal receipt of the annual audit report, which district staff characterized as evidence of the district’s current financial condition.","At the June 17 Yakima School Board meeting, district finance staff said enrollment and federal funding risks could tighten the 2025–26 budget even though a recent audit found no financial findings and district cash has begun to recover.","actionData","errors"]

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Parents, staff and union representatives press board on librarian cuts and school staffing

Board hears proposed edits to educational and racial equity policy 0550; talent recruitment flagged as only partially compliant

Yakima School District warns of potential federal cuts, cites healthy cash and clean audit