Staff reductions, both through attrition and layoffs, and staff reorganization will cover nearly two-thirds of the needed cuts, according to district Superintendent Tom Lockyer.

Inadequate state funding is the primary reason for the shortfall, he said in a recent letter to parents, noting that the district can no longer operate beyond its means.

The goal, he said, is to keep cuts from directly touching classrooms and instruction. The White River School District serves some 4,200 students between Buckley and Bonney Lake in the northeast corner of Pierce County.

It is not alone in feeling the financial squeeze. School districts throughout the state are facing tough decisions as state funding levels for basic education continue to fall short.

Next door, the Sumner School District is facing a $2.5 million gap between projected revenues and expenses. Puyallup’s gap is $3.2 million.

“By the time we get through the budget process, the majority of the school districts in the state will in some form be reducing staff positions, some by attrition, others by layoffs,” said Paul Rosier, executive director of the Washington Association of School Administrators.

In the past, he said, state money was found to offset local needs, but that isn’t happening anymore. A legislative task force is looking at the issue, but Rosier noted that any solution will take years to have an effect.

“This trend has been coming for a long time,” he said.

In the meantime, districts like White River must figure out how to live within their means. The current annual budget is about $39 million, and the district is in the middle of a four-year local maintenance and operation levy.

Lockyer, who has been with the district for two years, said the shortfall has been brewing for years. Administrative cuts were made last year, he said. This year the district will reduce teaching staff through attrition where possible. The goal is to save $180,000.

Nonteaching classified staff will take the biggest hit: $550,000. Classified staff include secretaries, custodial staff, food services workers and paraeducators. Lockyer said the district currently receives state funding for 72 full-time equivalents but has 138 FTEs.

He said he expects to cut roughly 15 FTEs, reducing the classified staff to levels of other comparable-sized districts.

Other cuts will be made in the Collins alternative school programs due to a drop in enrollment there. The dean of students position at White River High School will be eliminated. Retiring deputy district administrator Roger Marlow’s job won’t be filled. Two small elementary schools will share a principal.

White River School Board President Denise Vogel said the cuts will help the district build up its reserve fund, which is now being used for operations.

All cuts are difficult, she said, but cutting the sixth-grade camp tugged at her heartstrings. These students spend a couple of nights at the YMCA’s Camp Seymour in the fall.

“There has been a sixth-grade camp as long as I can remember,” she said, but added that she hasn’t received backlash from parents about cutting it.

Mike Archbold: 253-597-8692