Pierce County school districts are facing budget crises

This collection of stories examines the financial turmoil and subsequent budget cuts that Pierce County school districts are facing.

One article details how over 200 staff members in Tacoma Public Schools find themselves without job assignments as the district struggles to address a $30 million budget deficit. District officials said the cuts will be indefinite unless state funding models change. In the Franklin Pierce School District, staff, parents and students protested cuts earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Pierce County school districts face multi-million dollar losses under Trump's proposed budget.

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Kari Madden, president of Tacoma Federation of Education Support Professionals, the union that represents ESPs, stands near Foss High School, where Madden works, on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Tacoma, Wash. This group of staff has seen over 100 positions reduced in the last few weeks as Tacoma Public Schools address their $30 million deficit. By Liesbeth Powers

NO. 1: ‘NOBODY WINS.’ PARENTS, STAFF REACT TO DEEP CUTS AT TACOMA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

“It’s disheartening that every time there are cuts, it always starts with the people who will be impacted the worst,” one parent told The News Tribune. | Published May 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isha Trivedi

Tacoma Public Schools has said that the share of the state budget dedicated to education has declined in the years since the decision on the McCleary lawsuit.

NO. 2: TPS CUTS TO BE ‘INDEFINITE’ UNLESS STATE CHANGES SCHOOL FUNDING MODEL, DISTRICT SAYS

The district has cut scores of positions as it seeks to address a $30 million shortfall and has warned of more to come. | Published June 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isha Trivedi

Sharon Gold, right, a counseling office coordinator with the Franklin Pierce School District and a candidate for a school board seat in the upcoming election, leads a group into the district’s administrative center to sit in and speak at a school board meeting on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Tacoma, Wash. The roughly 30 who spoke called attention to issues like discrimination and budgetary cuts within the district. By Liesbeth Powers

NO. 3: PARENTS, STAFF, STUDENTS RALLY AGAINST CUTS AT THIS PIERCE COUNTY DISTRICT

In May the school district cut 9.5 more full time staff, including the high school choir teachers. | Published June 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Becca Most

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People gather in hallways and the entryway of the Tacoma Public Schools Central Administration Building to watch a board of directors meeting on Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Tacoma, Wash. The auditorium where the meeting was held and an overflow room were both filled with people during the meeting. By Liesbeth Powers

NO. 4: PIERCE COUNTY SCHOOLS STAND TO LOSE BIG MONEY UNDER TRUMP’S PROPOSED BUDGET

Tacoma Public Schools is forecast to lose $2.6 million each year, the most of any district in the county. | Published June 11, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isha Trivedi

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NO. 5: 200 TACOMA PUBLIC SCHOOLS EMPLOYEES WITHOUT JOB ASSIGNMENTS AMID BUDGET CRISIS

The district is getting closer to finalizing and balancing its $577 million budget. | Published June 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isha Trivedi

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.