Community pushes back as Olympia School District board approves approximately $3.6M in budget cuts

The Olympia School District Board of Directors voted to approve approximately $3.6 million in budget cuts in an effort to right the district's financial ship.

Directors Jess Tourtellotte-Palumbo, Maria Flores, Renee Fullerton, Hilary Seidel and Gilbert Lamont unanimously passed Resolution No. 685, also known as the 2026-27 Reduced Educational Program and Staffing Plan., at a board meeting on April 23.

At that board meeting, community members expressed concerns about the removal of art teachers, an increase in class sizes and gadget fees. 

Erika Lari commented on the removal of positions, including family liaisons and art specialists. 

“I ask all of you to oppose class size expansions. No one else in the state asked for it, because nobody wants it … and cuts to family liaisons, art specialist, lunch staff and custodians. It is $2 million our families deserve (to be) spent on our students,” Lari said. 

Art teacher Karen Hougan read a letter on behalf of elementary art educators, stating the removal of their positions last happened in the 1970s and took more than 40 years to rebuild. 

“This is not a small adjustment. It is a removal of a core educational experience for 3,689 elementary students currently served by just 5.4 teaching art positions. For those (people) who questioned whether art is essential even in the face of extensive research demonstrating its benefits, this decision raises a more fundamental question: What do we believe schools (are) for?” Hougan said. 

Hougan said elementary art education is where students learn to observe closely, think creatively, solve problems and persist through challenges as they discover that there are no wrong ways to do art. 

Local resident Katie Jahner urged the board to send a message that the district is committed to fully educating children, and not make creativity and expression expendable. 

“Do not reactively dismantle an entire program that took decades to rebuild when there could be other solutions. Let us think creatively to protect it, strengthen it, and ensure that every child in Olympia continues to have access to the transformative power of art,” Jahner said. 

Julie Garver, a parent of a child in the district, criticized the collection of an annual device protection fee for students and the district’s lack of long-term planning. 

“A $25 fee is not just a short-term solution — it is ... evidence of a system making reactive decisions instead of planned ones. These decisions may balance a budget on paper, but they create long-term consequences for families and for the integrity of public education,” Garver said. 

Prior community input 

Before passing the resolution, the district sent out a budget survey, and held student and community listening sessions to gather input on budget priorities.  

The district’s website showed the results of the budget survey, which garnered 2,536 responses from families, staff, students and community members. 

“Overall, respondents emphasized protecting the parts of school that most directly shape students’ daily experience, especially teacher relationships, safety and well-being, class size, staff positions, counseling and mental health support, and special education services,” the district's website states. 

The site also states that adults, particularly families and staff, prioritized class size, staffing, safety and teacher relationships, while students highlighted course options, clubs and athletics, music and arts, and career and college readiness. 

Student listening sessions were brought to eight secondary schools, and two community listening sessions. 

Students emphasized relationships, belongingness and safety as foundational to learning, and clubs, athletics, music, theater, and arts are viewed as central and not optional.  

Electives, CTE programs (such as woodshop and robotics), IB coursework, and Running Start opportunities were also highlighted.