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Proposed Budget Reductions, Engagement Opportunities and Next Steps

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Over the past two years, our school district has changed the trajectory of our schools and student outcomes. From student growth to employee job satisfaction, nearly every indicator is improving. This is not by accident; this is due to the focused and intentional work being done by our entire team.

Our district’s progress makes it even harder to make budget reductions next year. No one wants these reductions, but we must make them to improve our financial stability and to protect our academic progress.

Today we are sharing a $23 million budget reduction proposal, which is guided by our district’s core values and priorities. We are making both targeted reductions and targeted investments.

Protecting Student Priorities and Academic Excellence

We are putting students at the center and are not reducing the programs our community tells us matter most: mental health, music, fine arts, CTE, athletics, or extracurricular activities. We are prioritizing 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.

Targeted Reductions: District and School Impact

We are proposing a $9 million reduction to district-based services, absorbing 40% of the total proposed reductions. This includes reductions in our staff and staffing expenses, contracted services, supplies, and changes in equipment upgrade cycles.

We are proposing $14 million reductions to schools. Due to years of declining student enrollment, we are proposing a decrease of an estimated 60 licensed and 60 classified FTE across 65 sites. We are not increasing our published student:teacher ratios.

Engage: Video, Survey, and Community Discussions

We want to ensure students, families and community members have multiple ways to learn about the budget and provide their thoughts on these proposed reductions.

  • Watch the Video: An outline of the plan and what is driving the decisions for these proposals. Watch the Video.
  • Provide Feedback: Your opportunity to learn more about our budget situation and share your thoughts on the proposed reductions. The survey closes on February 13.
  • Community Discussions: Join us February 3 and 4 to review the proposal alongside community members, families, and students. This is a time to learn why a budget reduction is needed, ask questions, and clearly understand our budget situation.
  • View a PDF of proposed reductions

Using what we learn from our community and staff engagement efforts, we aim to have a finalized package by the end of February and share concrete next steps by mid-March.