(The Center Square) – Facing budget pressure, Spokane Public Schools might cut 400 to 500 positions if voters reject the district’s educational programs and operations levy renewal in the next 12 months.
Superintendent Adam Swinyard warned the SPS Board of Directors of the layoffs after wrapping up a presentation on Wednesday about the upcoming renewal effort. The current levy expires at the end of next year, but Swinyard said that even if voters renew it, SPS will still need to cut about 150 positions.
Business and Finance Director Cindy Coleman attributed much of the issue to enrollment continuing to decline following the COVID-19 pandemic and to volatility around state Local Effort Assistance funding.
“There is no scenario in which we’re not going to be reducing staff,” Swinyard said. “This is not about extra [revenue or] whether or not we’re going to cut, it’s about how much we’re going to be reducing.”
SPS is the largest school district in Spokane County and the third-largest in Washington state, with 58 schools, about 27,000 to 30,000 students and 5,900 employees, but it isn’t immune to budget deficits.
The board adopted a $2.5 million shortfall this school year, with $611.5 million in 2025-26 spending.
Coleman said SPS is looking at a $2.5 million shortfall ahead of the 2026-27 school year, projected to hit $14.1 million the following year and nearly $20 million in the two years after that. More than 50% of the district’s operating budget comes from the state, with the EP&O levy accounting for about 15%.
The current levy rate is already at SPS’s statutory cap of $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
Between the EP&O levy and a $200 million bond that SPS voters passed last year, homeowners in the district pay a combined rate of $3.36, which could hit $3.96 by 2027 as property assessments change.
The rate doesn’t include any other federal, state and local sales or property taxes that voters also pay.
“The proposed levy just kind of continues at that same pattern,” Coleman said, noting that changes in property assessment cause the combined rate to hit $4.15 if the renewal is approved ahead of 2028.
SPS can spend EP&O revenue on teachers with smaller class sizes, counselors, nurses, librarians and other support staff; athletics and extracurricular programs; materials; technology; security; and more.
The last time voters passed an SPS levy was February 2024, when 56.3% of the district approved it.
The board discussed two options for the renewal on Wednesday: November 2026 and February 2027.
Coleman said this November would likely see higher voter turnout and that SPS would have time to try again in February 2027 if the levy fails. February is usually when school districts put tax measures on the ballot, but if they fail, there won’t be enough time to try again before the current levy expires.
A countywide public safety tax may also appear on the ballot this November, raising concerns about taxpayer fatigue.
The board will have another levy renewal discussion in two weeks and hopes to vote next month or in July on whether to place the tax proposal on either the November 2026 or February 2027 ballot.
“I think that there are some advantages for us as a district and advantages to our community to have clarity and certainty on what we’re going to do,” Swinyard said regarding the upcoming engagement.
