Thursday, October 1, 2026
Olympia defines itself as a haven for artists, activists, and families. Again and again, people share stories of leaving places where they couldn’t envision a healthy life for their children — and choosing Olympia instead. That story is my own. I came here for my two daughters, who are now thriving students at Lincoln Elementary.
A community will always invest in, and protect, its hometown. And what makes a town a hometown is the childhood experienced within it.
The Olympia School District Board of Directors voted Thursday night, April 23, to unanimously approve a budget reduction plan, without any suggested changes or modifications, from Superintendent Patrick Murphy. This plan includes about $3.6 million in cuts.
The cuts include eliminating the family liaison program, reducing custodial support, and cutting elementary art teachers. These are not minor adjustments — they hollow out an already strained institution whose purpose is to protect and enrich our children.
Here is his plan:
Cutting Family Liaisons
Family liaisons as a budget measure were originally tied to the pandemic. While the pandemic may have ended, deep inequities persist.
The Family Liaison program is consistently described as essential by the U.S. Department of Education. Family liaisons provide a lifeline — ensuring families have food, housing, and essential resources, while building a bridge of trust between home and school — where every child is seen, supported, and set up to thrive.
Of the six liaisons currently under contract, cutting five would effectively dismantle the program.
There has been discussion about shifting the responsibilities of family liaisons onto other staff. The plan states that “educators and school-based staff ... will continue to provide support as part of their regular roles,” presumably to absorb the loss.
But capacity is not theoretical. As Director Maria Flores stated Thursday, “Each social worker (currently) has a caseload of 2,000 students.” The responsibilities of family liaisons would not disappear — they would be layered onto staff who are already stretched beyond reasonable limits.
Before cutting a program that supports marginalized families, the district should share clear impact data and ensure informed decisions.
In the Olympia School District, Hispanic or Latino students currently make up about 14.3 percent of the student body in the 2023 to 2024 school year. In the previous school year, they accounted for 13.6 percent.
In Washington state, the Hispanic community contributes over $7.1 billion annually to the state's economy through a combination of consumer spending and tax contributions.
In western Washington, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has created fear among Hispanic families, leading to less engagement with schools. Many immigrant families in the region avoid reporting crimes or participating in school activities. Studies show that when liaisons are involved, Hispanic families benefit.
As a sanctuary city, Olympia is a place where families seek safety and opportunity. In that spirit, family liaisons have become a trusted bridge, ensuring these families aren’t just welcomed, but supported in building stable futures here.
Cutting elementary art teachers
The Olympia School District’s budget reduction plan includes cutting the elementary art program. Students will no longer have dedicated art specialists, and instead, art will be incorporated into their regular classrooms.
For kids who struggle with traditional subjects, art is often a place where they shine, build self-esteem, and stay engaged in school.
Once those specialized teachers and resources are gone, it’s not a simple flip of a switch to restore them. It can take an entire generation of students missing out. When we cut art, we may be leaving a long gap where future kids miss out.
At a recent Olympia School District board meeting, an elementary art teacher testified that when art programs were eliminated in the 1970s, it took more than 40 years to rebuild them.
Instead of thriving in a space for creativity, students will get art piecemeal in regular classrooms, where teachers will inherit even more responsibility and lose prep time. Cutting it now isn’t just a budget choice — it risks silencing generations of creativity.
Cutting custodial services
Right now, the situation is already strained: multiple custodial positions in the high school remain unfilled after retirements, yet cuts are still on the table. They’re insisting on reducing hours and staff, even though the custodians left are uncertain about whether they’ll lose their benefits. The impact is tangible: they can’t keep the floors clean. It’s not just cleanliness at stake — it’s the basic ability to maintain a healthy, functioning learning environment. If these cuts continue, the ripple effects on safety, morale, and retention will follow.
Solutions
Despite ongoing financial strain, the district awarded more than $350,000 in raises and cost of living adjustments to top-paid staff in the 2021–22 school year.
A solution to balance a budget already buckling at the ground level could be to convene a task force, including teachers, families, and administrators, to rebalance future budgets. The key is a shared plan: align increases with measurable student outcomes, and ensure everyone buys into that path forward.
The district’s reduction plan does include a freeze on further raises at the top until the budget balances, which is a positive.
Another possibility is to introduce a cap — tying future administrative increases to overall district financial health or student investment. It’s about ensuring growth at the top doesn’t outpace the core mission.
As both a parent and an educator, I am watching an institution built on the value of a child’s life crumble in real time. Resources and education keep people off your front lawn and out of crime. That’s a simple truth.
Degrade education, and you degrade your hometown beyond recognition.
I urge the board and superintendent to reconsider. These are not trims — they are wounds. We are cutting to the bone, and there may not be enough left to heal.
~ Vita Lusty is a resident of Olympia
The opinions expressed above are those of the writers and not necessarily those of The JOLT's staff or board of directors. Got something to say about a topic of interest to Thurston County residents? Send it to us and we’ll most likely publish it. Click here to email to us.
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Tanker1982
I mostly agree with Ms Lusty on one issue, freeze , or cut administrative salaries as part of the solution. However, every organization must live within its means and Prioritize outcomes when facing constraints.. those outcomes are student based. Reading, writing, math and civics.are the core to kids future success. We are behind Alabama in all categories! How is that possible given the funding we give to schools? Our priorities must change.
Friday, May 15 Report this
Snevets
This is beyond sad!
Friday, May 15 Report this
johnvaneenwyk
Excellent summary and perspective. These cut will severely undermine the efforts of already over-burdened front line staff. While it will take about ten years, money “saved” will be very minor compared with exorbitant cost of dealing with adults who as students were denied adequate learning opportunities. It’s the classic “spend ten (in the future) to save one (in the present).”
Education is time consuming and expensive. The days of the one-teacher-one-room-schoolhouse are over. Many taxpayers resent having to pay for what they—as children—received for free while others paid for it. Although it is viewed with suspicion, a graduated income tax is the only solution. Sales taxes are the most regressive, meaning that everyone pays the same percent taxes on gasoline, groceries, clothing, etc. So those with the most pay the same amount as those with the least. Basic math=the more you have, the smaller percentage of taxes you pay.
Thank you, Vita! A very good opinion piece.
Saturday, May 16 Report this
JillVictorine
Thank you for an excellent and important opinion.
Saturday, May 16 Report this
OSDmomof2
Regarding your solutions, capping admin pay may not have the impact you’d want given that they only make up 5% of the overall budget.
We could cap teacher pay which makes up the largest portion of the expenses not that that would really address the current budget deficit either.
Another solution would be redrawing school boundaries and consolidating some schools to adjust for low enrollment.
Something’s gotta give!
We can’t have it all because we are spending beyond our means.
Last but not least, talk to your legislators about increasing funding for schools. There are too many unfunded mandates. For example, school nurses are not currently funded by the state but they are essential for the health of students.
You could also petition the state to fund family liaisons and art programs!
Saturday, May 16 Report this
ViaLocal
We should ask Mamdani what he would do!
Wednesday, May 20 Report this
36098501
This answer might seem too simplistic, but is worthy of discussion. I think we are asking too much from schools and the Olympia School District. The funding of schools was never meant to cover all these various programs that we now consider as normal and expected.
Patrick Murphy and the Olympia School District hasn't done itself any favors with managing budgets and community communication. The approach of putting school neighborhoods in competition with each other around budget cuts, program cuts, or even school closures is corrosive and irresponsible as it divides the community even further on a topic that everyone should be in complete agreement on - providing the best education for children.
Thursday, May 21 Report this
GPodxt
No one moves to Olympia for “safe, healthy living.” That’s a joke. There’s always a “hidden” reason.
Take a gander at the homeless “issue.” It’s more of a “we can move here and do whatever! See! See how they don’t bother to clean up?!”
Push over county. And all the “outsiders” that believe it’s something else. Because they read an article.
“Safe”? Maybe you should take a walk around lacey/olympia/tumwater. There’s trails even!
Then give me an excuse… why soo much trash? Why little care or concern?
Tuesday, May 26 Report this