Port Townsend School District plans to cut full-time positions

Published 1:30 am Friday, May 1, 2026

PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend School District will eliminate 2.3 full-time-equivalent positions to make up for state funding cuts to the schools’ free and reduced lunch and Transition to Kindergarten programs, among other funding cuts.

“While these cuts do hurt, they’re real people, and we’re always sad to have to scale back,” Port Townsend School District Superintendent Linda Rosenbury said. “These are not major cuts, and our programs are being maintained. I’m confident that, with the help of the finance committee, the school board and I can continue to deliver great programs for our communities.”

The cuts will result in an orchestra teacher at Blue Heron Middle School (BHMS) losing their position entirely. A science teacher who is near retirement volunteered to have his hours cut, Rosenbury said. That teacher will work half days.

Art teacher Sarah Estrem will transfer from the middle school to fill a vacant role at Salish Coast Elementary School, Rosenbury added. The middle school will not offer art courses to sixth-graders at this time, according to a letter sent to Blue Heron families.

In addition, the district will reduce 1.5 full-time-equivalent (FTE) intervention staffing employees at BHMS.

“Interventions is additional support for students who are not yet meeting grade level standards,” Rosenbury said. “Usually it’s reteaching the curriculum or pre-teaching the curriculum and providing targeted instruction for what level they’re at to work to get them up to grade level.”

These are not additional teachers losing their jobs; rather, the roles were functions filled by existing teachers whose schedules were not full. Moving forward, intervention will be integrated into regular class time rather than being a separate service, Rosenbury said.

Blue Heron’s music programming will continue with the same level of classes. Previously, one teacher taught orchestra and another taught band. Both teachers supplemented their schedules with things like advisory, intervention and physical education, Rosenbury said.

Moving forward, Kim Clarke, who has seniority and who has taught orchestra in the past, will teach both classes.

Funding cuts totaled about $530,000, Rosenbury said. The two biggest losses were funding for the district’s free and reduced lunch program and Transition to Kindergarten dollars, with about $180,000 being lost in each state-funded category.

While the school district still has about 50 percent of its students coming from families under the poverty level, that level decreased this year to the extent that it no longer qualified for the high poverty funding, Rosenbury said.

Transition to Kindergarten dollars were cut to programs across the state. The Port Townsend School District went from having 33 student slots funded to 20, Rosenbury said.

The state did authorize districts to charge tuition, which the district is considering for those who can afford it.

Grants previously received by the district were not received, including $90,000 from the state for outdoor learning, $70,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and $10,000 from U.S. Department of Education’s federal Title IV.

With the FTE cuts, at an average of $140,000, including benefits, the district will make up the remaining budget gap through a combination of levy and reserve dollars, Rosenbury said.

While the school district’s reserve is in a good place, how much of the gap will be funded by the reserve is yet to be determined, as the district policy is to maintain 8 percent of its annual operating expenses in the reserve, Rosenbury said. The district often maintains 8 percent to 10 percent, she added.

PTSD’s school board will consider passing a resolution for the reduction in force at their meeting May 7. The public can attend in person in Room S-11 of the Gael Stuart Building, 1610 Blaine St. Information on how to attend via Zoom can be found at tinyurl.com/432pyv96.

“We anticipate some public comment from families and students in the music program,” Rosenbury said. “We’re looking forward to hearing what their concerns are and working with them to find the best path forward to maintain our excellent music programs.”

Rosenbury noted that more cuts may be necessary next year. Several open positions are yet to be filled, and the level of experience and education the best candidates have will define the cost of hiring for the district.

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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@peninsuladailynews.com.