Kelso schools are having to cut “to the very core,” one school board member said Tuesday, and Longview schools and others around the state face cuts that are just as severe.

“I believe all districts are looking at similar reductions to what Kelso is doing,” Longview Superintendent Suzanne Cusick said Tuesday.

Longview must cut $4.4 million from its 2009-2010 budget, and Kelso school officials Monday outlined a plan to cope with a projected $3.1 million drop in state funding for next school year.

Cusick said she’s planning to present a list of possible cuts to Longview School Board by its Feb. 23 meeting.

The severity of budget cuts proposed at Monday’s Kelso School Board meeting began to sink in Tuesday.

The proposed cuts, which include a total of about 28 teaching positions, were “both expected and unnerving,” said board member Mike Haas.

“We’re having to cut to the very core,” he said.

No action is expected on the cuts until mid-March at the earliest.

To balance its budget, Kelso is considering cutting about 40 positions, including: 18.5 teachers, 7.7 kindergarten teachers, two Loowit High teachers, six librarians, seven library aides, all 2.5 elementary school counselors.

Programs such as the district’s alternative high school, all-day kindergarten, elementary swim program and Cispus outdoor school all are on the chopping block as well.

“It was a very sobering list,” Haas said.

Kelso’s budget cuts are following estimates outlined in Gov. Chris Gregoire’s budget proposal, which board members reviewed in December. A final budget won’t be decided by the Legislature until spring.

“The magnitude was of the order we expected,” said Kelso School Board President Patty Wood. “We knew it was going to be around $3.4 million, but it’s still a shock when you see it.”

School officials worry more cuts are coming.

“The governor’s budget includes a $1 billion bailout from the federal government,” which the state isn’t guaranteed to get, Wood said.

A nearly $6 billion state budget gap, combined with stagnant federal education funding and declining enrollment caused the current budget crunch.

It’s unclear when things will improve.

“What we’re being driven by is state and national economic conditions and I don’t know if we’ve reached the bottom,” said board man Bob Simmons.

“In the long term, yes, the economy will get better … but without some serious changes in the way we as a state think about how we fund our schools, I don’t see it getting better,” Haas said.

Haas said it’s difficult to imagine cutting some of the programs proposed for elimination, such as closing Loowit High School, the alternative school for at-risk students.

“Loowit has made a big difference in a lot of kid’s lives. … Loowit provides an alternative setting, and so for those kids, they’ll be more at risk when they return to traditional high school setting,” Haas said.

It’s also disappointing to think of cutting the district’s Cispus outdoor school, Haas said. His own son called the experience “the best thing I’ve every done in my life” when the then-sixth grader returned from the trip.

Board member Diane Dick said the district has wanted to provide as many opportunities to students as possible, and state funding hasn’t kept up with mandates placed on schools.

“If I think one thing that has lead to this, Kelso has tried to do too much with too little,” Dick said, pointing to its alternative high school and class-credit recovery programs for students. “We’ve really tried to stretch our dollars as much as possible. Maybe we should not have tried to stretch them that far.”

Board members blame the Legislature for not adequately funding education. Kelso taxpayers are certainly bearing their share of the load through the local property tax levy, the board said.

“I can’t say our taxpayers are shorting us because we have a high (levy) rate compared to other districts,” Dick said. “They’ve been very supportive of us and we’re very grateful for that.”

None of the cuts are going to be easy, Haas said.

“Every item on that list is near and dear to someone,” Haas said.

Related articles:

Kelso schools face 'painful' cuts

Proposed Kelso School District budget reductions

Upcoming forums

The school board is hosting several forums next month to gather public opinion before deciding on cuts. People are invited to talk to board members one-on-one at these events.

Open community forums (At Kelso High School library)

• Feb. 11, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

• Feb. 17, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Staff forum (Coweeman Middle School library)

• Feb. 18 and 19, 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Student forums

• Feb. 17, 3-4:30 p.m., Coweeman Middle School library

• Feb. 24, 3-4:30 p.m., Huntington Middle School

School administrator forum

• Feb. 20, 3:30- 5 p.m., Coweeman Middle School