Annual Budget

The following outlines proposed reductions and how the district plans to continue serving students through more efficient service models.

Regional Social Worker Model
BSD would transition social worker services to a regional model. Rather than being assigned to a single school, social workers would work in geographic clusters to support groups of schools. This would eliminate the overlap in services that currently occurs when social workers at multiple schools serve a single family with more than one child in the district. This model ensures every student has access to social and emotional support while maximizing the reach of staff. Estimated savings: $2.7 million

Proportional Staffing: Elementary Classroom Teachers
BSD would change the current practice of guaranteeing every elementary school has at least two classrooms per grade level regardless of how many students are enrolled. This shift allows the district to assign teachers more flexibly based on actual student enrollment at each site. While some schools may only have one classroom in some grades, the district remains committed to keeping class sizes manageable and ensuring every student receives high-quality instruction and support. Estimated savings: $1.9 million

Proportional Staffing: Counselors 
BSD would adjust staffing for counselors to better align with caseloads across schools—including recalibrating caseloads at secondary schools—rather than guaranteeing one counselor per school. Through a weighted staffing model, the district can ensure resources are allocated to schools with higher concentrations of student needs. Estimated savings: $1.6 million

Centralized Instructional Technology Support
BSD would restructure instructional technology support by moving to centralized coordination and district-level support. The move reflects a shift toward embedding instructional strategies within general education classrooms rather than relying on specific specialists at every school. Estimated savings: $1.4 million

Proportional Staffing: Elementary Specialists
Staffing for music and PE specialists at elementaries would be adjusted to be more proportionate to the number of students at each school rather than staffing a minimum of two full-time specialists at each site. This shift ensures a fair distribution of music and PE specialists across the district so all students have access to a well-rounded education regardless of school size. Estimated savings: $1.1 million

Centralized Substance Use Support
BSD would restructure substance use support by moving to a centralized district model. This allows a dedicated team to provide specialized expertise and intervention across all schools, ensuring consistent and professional care for students who need it. Estimated savings: $916,000

Proportional Staffing: Behavioral Specialists
BSD would adjust staffing for student behavioral specialists at elementaries to better align with the specific needs of each school population. By using a weighted staffing model, the district can ensure resources are directed where they are needed most, maintaining a strong safety net for all students. Estimated savings: $695,000 

Student Work Experience (WEX) Model
BSD would restructure the work experience for students in specialized programs from an every-day model to an every-other-day model. The district would continue to provide opportunities for real-world experience through a more efficient program structure. Estimated savings: $452,000

Proportional Staffing: Instructional Coaches
Instructional coaches help teachers refine their craft to better serve students. These positions would be allocated based on the number of classroom teachers or sections in a school rather than one per site. This ensures that coaching support is distributed fairly and that teachers receive the help they need to maintain high academic standards. Estimated savings: $356,000

Middle School and Option School Scheduling
The district is proposing small adjustments to how teachers are allocated at middle schools and option schools to better match scheduling models. Currently, schools are funded the same even if teachers are assigned a different number of class periods each day. This update ensures staffing levels are aligned with actual school schedules. Estimated savings: $272,000

Credit Recovery Allocation
BSD would reduce a small portion of the budget previously set aside for credit recovery for Early College High School students but was not being accessed by the intended student group. This change will have no impact on the services or support available to ECHS students working toward graduation. Estimated savings: $41,000

Proportional Staffing: FLEX Online School
BSD will continue to operate its K-12 online school, but it would implement operational efficiencies, including allocating staff more proportionate to student enrollment, similar to the model used for brick-and-mortar schools. Estimated savings: TBD

District Office Reductions
Over the past three years, BSD has prioritized using reserves and reducing central office costs to shield schools from reductions. Each department is currently identifying cuts to further reduce district-level support to schools. Estimated savings: TBD

BSD is committed to providing a high-quality education for every student. To maintain this standard and ensure long-term financial stability, the district must realign its spending to address a significant budget gap. The gap is driven by four primary factors:

• Continuing enrollment decline: State funding is tied directly to the number of students served. Current projections show enrollment will continue to decline, with an expected loss of 600 students per year starting in 2026. Fewer students result in a direct reduction in the funding received from the state.
• Local option levy shortfall: The local option levy, which helps fund teaching positions, faces a projected $5.08 million shortfall for the 2026-2027 school year, largely due to the slowing real estate market. 
• Closing the structural deficit: A structural deficit occurs when mandatory expenses grow faster than incoming revenue. Inflationary costs such as supplies, utilities, health insurance, retirement contributions and salary increases are outpacing increases in the State School Fund. At the same time, the district has maintained staff support added with temporary pandemic funding that has now expired. Without action, the annual deficit is currently projected to grow from $20 million this year to more than $70 million by 2029.
• Proportional resource allocation: The district is moving toward a proportionate staffing model. Instead of allocating the same resources at every school regardless of size, the district aims to adjust staff based on the specific student population and needs of each building. This ensures every student has access to a consistent, high-quality experience regardless of which school they attend.

While the district maintains a financial reserve, these are one-time funds. Using reserves to cover ongoing costs—like salaries—is a temporary fix, not a long-term solution.

BSD currently has a structural deficit, meaning annual spending exceeds annual revenue. The district is drawing down its reserves by about $20 million this year to fill this gap. If the district continues to spend at this rate, the deficit will grow, and the reserves will be exhausted within the next three years, leading to a "fiscal cliff."

To prevent sudden and drastic cuts to student programs in the future, the School Board has chosen a proactive approach: making smaller, strategic reductions now. This allows the district to gradually spend down reserves while realigning the budget to ensure long-term financial stability.

The School Board met with district leaders during its August retreat to authorize planning for budget reductions. The goal is to reduce spending by approximately $10 million in each of the next three years, depending on funding from the Oregon Legislature.

Following that directive, the district began a formal review of the current staffing allocation methodology. A dedicated committee was formed, including:

• School principals
• Administrators from the Teaching & Learning, Human Resources, Business and Information Technology departments
• Leadership from both licensed and classified unions

This committee met five times between October and December to analyze existing staffing models and provide recommendations for reductions. Those recommendations were then reviewed by district leadership to determine which proposals would best preserve the student experience while meeting the board’s financial targets.

The district is at the beginning of this process and is committed to transparency as it navigates these financial challenges. During February, the district will launch its annual Budget Listening and Learning sessions. This will include an informational video and opportunities for students, families, staff and community members to provide feedback and suggestions regarding the proposed reductions.

The timeline for the remainder of the budget cycle is as follows:

• February: Community feedback collection period.
• March: Feedback will be shared with the budget committee and the public during the Budget 101 session.
• May: The superintendent will present the final proposed budget, including the specific recommendations for reductions, for budget committee review and board approval.

In recent years, the district has worked to protect school-based positions by reducing district office staff, shifting capital costs to alternate funding sources and using financial reserves to balance the budget. However, because the vast majority of the district's budget is dedicated to staffing—and most of those employees work directly in schools—school-level staffing must be included in the district’s plan to ensure long-term financial stability.

While reductions are necessary, the district is committed to a thoughtful and strategic approach. By moving toward a more proportionate staffing model, the district aims to ensure that staff positions are allocated equitably based on student needs. Our goal throughout this process is to minimize the impact on students while realigning resources to match current enrollment and funding levels.

To address a budget gap of this size, the reductions under consideration include positions across all employee groups: licensed, classified and administration. These impacts will be felt both at individual schools and the district level.

The district is committed to a comprehensive approach, ensuring that no single group bears the entire burden of these necessary financial adjustments. By reviewing every department and staffing category, BSD can more effectively realign its resources while continuing to support its core educational mission.

No, the district is planning the budget for the 2026-2027 school year. We do not plan to make any mid-year reductions.

District leaders and association leadership are working together to ensure the contractual notice process is followed for all employee groups. Our priority is to ensure that staff members receive notification as soon as possible if their positions will be impacted for the 2026-2027 school year.

Because different employee groups have different contract terms, the specific timing of these notifications may vary. However, the district is committed to clear and timely communication throughout the spring as the budget is finalized.

To view a copy of the Adopted Budget Document, please click on the picture below.

For an accessible format of this document, please contact the district at 503-356-4540.

To view a copy of the Adopted Budget Document, please click on the picture below.

For an accessible format of this document, please contact the district at 503-356-4540.

To view a copy of the Adopted Budget Document, please click on the picture below.

For an accessible format of this document, please contact the district at 503-356-4540. 

To view a copy of the Adopted Budget Document, please click on the picture below. 

For an accessible format of this document, please contact the district at 503-356-4540. 

To view a copy of the Adopted Budget Document, please click on the picture below.

For an accessible format of this document, please contact the district at 503-356-4540. 

To view a copy of the Adopted Budget Document, please click on the picture below. 

For an accessible format of this document, please contact the district at 503-356-4540.

To view a copy of the Adopted Budget Document, please click on the picture below. 

For an accessible format of this document, please contact the district at 503-356-4540.

If you wish to see a copy of a prior year's budget not listed, please contact the district at 503-356-4540.