By Stephen Floyd
Seven furlough days for the present school year have been approved by the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) Board as part of efforts to address significant budget shortfalls.
During the board’s regular meeting April 22, members voted unanimously to designate May 3 and 24 and June 10-14 as furlough days on the school calendar.
These will be days without instruction, when teachers and classified staff do not come into work, nor are they paid. The furloughs are expected to save the district roughly $1.2 million.
The change adds Friday to Memorial Day weekend and eliminates the last week of school. June 7 becomes the final day of the year. A half-day, May 3, was already a non-instruction day for staff development training.
Board Chair Jennifer Traeger said this was “a huge thing” for the district and a significant step toward addressing deficit projections. The board was informed April 8 of a likely $4 million deficit in this year’s budget and a $1.3 million cash shortfall in June.
Traeger said the combination of furlough days and a bridge loan the board voted to pursue April 11 will resolve the district’s immediate need for spending reductions and revenue increases. The board will next seek to cut $8.8 million from the 2024-2025 budget to stay ahead of further potential deficits.
Traeger acknowledged the furloughs were the result of collaboration with the district’s two employees’ unions. She thanked them for their willingness to make difficult decisions in a short timeframe.
“I appreciate everybody that came to the table,” said Traeger, who called the need for furloughs “extremely regrettable.”
“We are working to do better, putting things in the palace to do better,” she continued.
One step toward improved financial oversight was a decision by the board to reverse a district policy barring standing committees. This will allow the board to form a budget committee including no more than three board members. The body would regularly evaluate district finances in open meetings.
