OSD4All

The Olympia School District posted a new budget presentation for the public hearing & second reading on June 25th. It shows the effect of a budget without cuts in 2027 forward. On page 6, IT IS NOT CLEAR what has already been cut from the budget. The composite OSPI health score at the bottom has to be above 1.75 to keep the district out of binding conditions with the state.

Will the district curb spending habits or simply cut services going forward?
Does this include regular superintendent and cabinet raises?
How will student outcomes be affected by a loss of family liaisons, art specialists, and larger class sizes?
Do we NEED to hold $10m from our students?

View the presentation at:https://osd4all.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-06-25-Board-Budget-Second-Reading-updated-6-22-26-ACC.pdf

And sign up for public comment at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZhQ8P6TCuHqnqhDE38LJ8KW16RRIJl5j_0KW-DpA2pCoMTg/viewform

The Olympia School District has a free summer lunch program for those 18 & under at Garfield Elementary School this summer.

All sites in the area at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/sitefinder

There is also a text line where parents can text “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 304-304 to receive a text message with nearby locations.

A USDA National Hunger Hotline is also available at 1-866-3-HUNGRY or 1-866-348-6479.

Republican backers of Trump’s signature domestic policy bill repeatedly claimed that revisions to the food benefits program wouldn’t affect the most vulnerable. But reports from a dozen states show children are losing access.

Read more: https://propub.li/44fKbvE

This is coming up in a week! Please share with the teens in your life. Payment plan is available.
Register at https://www.community-print.org/classes/p/teen-riso-zine-camp-june-30-july-2

The Olympia School District needs better ideas. This is the end game for Superintendent Murphy and it won’t save enough for us to be fiscally sustainable.

Closing a School? Don't Expect to Save Money, a New Study Warns The hope is that closing schools can reduce fixed costs. A new study looks into whether that happens.

At the last Olympia School District meeting, Director Renee Fullerton asked for more of a big picture vision from Superintendent Patrick Murphy. “Why don't we kind of pull back the lens a bit to wrestle with all the different pieces of information that have been assembled into a larger mosaic?” she asked, referring to piecemeal presentations.

Is Murphy giving the board piece meal presentations on purpose, so they don't ask larger questions? From looking at the budget presentation, Murphy must have known the consequences of central office non-mandated raises when they were passed last fall, and now we are seeing programs and staff being reduced at our schools, while positions are being added to central office.

What decisions have been made by the district to increase future spending since the legislature approved increased revenue?

And, given those decisions made since revenue was approved, what did the district plan to cut when the decisions to spend were made?

We aren’t sure if the savings from the reduction in force proposal is included, but if it isn't, we are being presented an ending fund balance within guidelines and our revenue is greater than our expenses. The only people who seem to be benefiting are cabinet staff at the expense of our students.

Sign up for public comment (yes, there's a date typo on the form) at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZhQ8P6TCuHqnqhDE38LJ8KW16RRIJl5j_0KW-DpA2pCoMTg/viewform

“Another notable issue the report shows, Boyd said, is a lack of access to early learning. The report found that 57% of children ages 3 and 4 are not in school, a one percentage point decline from the previous reporting period.”

The Olympia School District has closed 5 developmental preschools in the last 10 years.

WA falls again in national education ranking Washington state has slipped once again in a national education ranking.

Why else would the Olympia School District want a boundary review?