Budget Reduction Update - April 2, 2026

School districts throughout Oregon, including Salem-Keizer, are facing reductions due to declining enrollment and state funding that is not keeping pace with rising expenses.

Since the fall, we have been sharing information about budget reductions needed to stabilize our financial outlook for the 2026-27 school year.

Community Engagement on Proposed Reductions

During the first week of February, we shared a list of proposed budget reductions, held in-person engagement events, and launched a community-wide survey. More than 2,000 people responded to the survey, and most agreed with our recommendation to reduce $9 million from central office staffing and budgets before making reductions at schools. We’ve also proposed a $14 million reduction in school-based staffing. These reductions are the most difficult, but they are unavoidable because the vast majority of our budget is spent on schools.

Watch a 3-minute video here to learn how each dollar is spent in Salem-Keizer Public Schools.

Most reductions will be absorbed by vacancies

We needed to reduce 130 FTE (the equivalent of 130 full-time positions) from next school year’s budget. Through our long, careful planning process and our partnership with our employee associations, we are avoiding a large and disruptive reduction-in-force.

• For our licensed staff, we can manage the entire reduction in FTE through vacancies and administrative transfers.
• For classified staff and other non-licensed employee groups, we can manage most of the FTE reduction through vacancies and administrative transfers; however, we are anticipating up to five layoffs.

School-level Staffing is Still Being Finalized

We are still in the process of finalizing employee assignments for the 2026-27 school year based on the student needs of each school. Most of these decisions will be finalized during the week of April 13.

Prioritizing our academic progress

At the same time we are making reductions, we are prioritizing our resources toward academic excellence by continuing to invest in great instructional materials and training our staff. We are prioritizing early literacy by adjusting elementary staffing so we can have more single grade-level classrooms and fewer blended grade classrooms. We believe this is a crucial step that will improve conditions for teaching and learning and improve student outcomes.

Next steps in the budget process

The proposed reductions are being worked into the proposed budget for the 2026-27 school year. Superintendent Andrea Castañeda will present her budget message and proposed budget to the budget committee during the first meeting of the year on May 5, 2026. Meeting dates/times, agendas and information about public comment and viewing opportunities will be posted on the Budget Committee web page.