School district gripped by push and pull of change

The forces shaping decisions about the Grand Coulee Dam School District are stubbornly calling for what one might reasonably conclude are exactly the wrong decisions.

Last fall, when the process of laying out a “modified education plan” — the term in education for layoffs — members of the public were calling for the district to stem its financial losses by increasing the amount of money coming in, rather than cutting expenses.

In public education, that means bringing in more students — through increased offerings, not fewer. The district directors are in a difficult position. In business (and we are essentially talking about sales here) basing a survival strategy only on increased revenue is a shaky gamble at best. And when the market you can sell to is extremely limited, the need to cut expenses is just a reality.

And in the school district, three quarters of its expenses are in wages. Cutting people is a sad inevitability. Doing so in a way that least harms the district’s ability to serve students well is a must.

Scott Hunter

editor and publisher