Blaine school board approves third year of cuts

For the third consecutive year, the Blaine school board has approved budget cuts that will tighten the district’s already barebones budget by $3 million. The cuts will eliminate roughly 46 positions, merge first and second grade classes from Blaine Primary School into Blaine Elementary School, cut all C-team high school sports, and significantly reshuffle school district administration.

In a 4-0-1 vote, the board approved the recommended budget reduction, which included cuts to four department directors in the district office, two assistant principal positions, four assistant coaches and 16 certified staff positions. Erika Creydt abstained from the vote, citing a lack of board discussion and preparation.

Blaine school district superintendent Chris Granger said seven transition to kindergarten positions could be reinstated with proper funding from the state, and 10 other positions will be added in the next school year. 

While each school board member and Granger said the decision to cut more staff is never taken lightly, Granger said it’s now the “unfortunate reality” of public education funding in Washington.

“While this is not our preferred method, nobody at this table or on this team wants to do any of things represented in this plan, but it is a lack of funds from the state that causes these local decisions to be made and continue to have devastating impacts on local communities across the state,” Granger told the packed crowd at the district boardroom prior to the vote. 

Most of the blame for the cuts were laid at the state legislature, which the board said has not made up for the loss in pandemic-era relief funding or addressed problems in local levy caps on school districts like Blaine. 

According to data from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Washington is below the national average of K-12 education investment as a percentage of Gross State Product (3.1 percent compared to 3.6 nationally in 2020) and has seen five consecutive years of decreased education funding as a percentage of the state budget, from 52.4 percent in 2018-19 to 43.1 percent in 2023-24.

With a lack of state funding, school districts like Blaine are stuck in a loop of budget cuts, reduced staff and less opportunities for students. That results in reduced enrollment, restricting how much funding the district can receive from the state, further tightening the budget.

“We hate it, as I’m sure you guys do too, but the responsibility lies with the legislature,” board member Steve Galbraith told the crowd. “Inundate the legislature with letters and emails, that’s the only way they’re going to change, and maybe they won’t.”

To preserve as many jobs as it could, the district had to get creative with its savings for the upcoming school year, proposing moving the majority of students in Blaine Primary School to the elementary school, which will save the district $600,000 in energy and maintenance costs. 

The decision to move some of Blaine’s youngest students into the elementary school was met by resistance from local parents, who garnered more than 400 signatures in an online petition opposing the merger.

Board member Ryan Swinburnson said the savings from the merger were too significant to not approve.

“The merger, while it’s not ideal, it puts us in a position where we have upwards of $600,000 or more that we don’t have to cut from staff, and that is to me the overriding concern,” Swinburnson said. “Not cutting essential staff, not cutting programs.”

One program proposed to be cut in preliminary budget plans was the Blaine High School theater arts program. The proposal was protested on March 19 when roughly 100 high school students walked out of class and to the district office to express their disdain. 

The board was able to retain the drama director position and keep the theater program. It also kept the band program and visual arts program cuts to a minimal, which some saw as a small win among another round of gut-wrenching budget cuts.

“The reason people go to school is to learn, but where they flourish is in the extracurriculars,” Swinburnson said. “We have to maintain those the best we can.” 

Washington state law requires all certificated employees whose jobs are impacted by budget cuts to be given notice before May 15. The board will vote again on a finalized version of the budget to send to the state in July. 

Board members 

won’t seek reelection

Board president Cliff Freeman and Galbraith announced during the meeting that they would not run for another term on school board. 

Freeman said he wanted “someone younger who has a closer connection to the school” to represent the District 3 position he has held since winning the November 2023 election. 

The Blaine High School class of 1971 graduate and retired civil engineer was appointed board president, and took defiant stances against the state legislature and other state agencies.

At the end of the meeting, Freeman said another reason he decided to not seek reelection was due to his refusal to participate in a state-required equity training that he called “social justice crap that our legislators continue to drive upon us.”

Galbraith was appointed to the Blaine school board in March 2024 to replace the District 5 seat.

Galbraith attended Blaine schools, served on the Blaine City Council from 1989 to 1990, and spent  six years on the city planning commission.

Galbraith will step down in December when the newly-elected board member is sworn in. He said he wasn’t able to provide the time and energy required by the unpaid position. 

The filing period for the school district open positions is May 5-9.