fall 2009 / Volume 15. Number 1

education

Northwest magazine

Weathering the storm

How Northwest School Districts Are Dealing With the Economic Recession

P r o t e c t i n g p r o g r a m s 1 0 | S u r v i v i n g h i s t o r i c b u d g e t c u t s 1 8 | M a x i m i z i n g s t i m u l u s d o l l a r s 2 4
2 educationnorthwest.org

On the cover

It’s been two years since a flood inundated Vernonia, 

Oregon, but the school district is still feeling the effects. 

The district was forced to close the high school and rent 

modular buildings at a cost of $14,000 per month—

putting extra strain on an already diminished budget.

Photo by Sarah Giffrow 
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 1

6

18

28

features

6 The Funding Crisis

We take a broad look at what the recession has meant to education in the 

Northwest and gauge the impact of the federal recovery effort.

10 Holding Onto What Matters Most

In Federal Way, Washington, strategic cuts have spared high school programs 

that pay big dividends for students.

14 The Longest Year

An Idaho district relies on fiscal conservatism and collaborative decisionmaking to help sustain its major priorities in a time of crisis.

18 Beyond the Bottom Line

An Oregon superintendent emphasizes collaboration and relationships as she 

leads her district through the state’s historic budget cuts. 

24 Short-Term Stimulus, Long-Term Investment

Stimulus dollars have an immediate impact in a Montana school district, while 

also building staff capacity that will affect student achievement in the long run. 

28 Vernonia’s Double Whammy

A small Oregon logging community tries to cope with the twin burdens of the 

recession and a devastating natural disaster.

Representing Educators During Oregon’s Economic Crisis: 

Oregon Education Association Leaders

Two leaders of Oregon’s largest teachers’ union talk about working collaboratively 

with district leaders and fighting for the long-term fiscal health of the state’s public 

education system.

education

 Northwest magazine

	contents / fall 2009 weathering the storm Vol. 15 / No. 1

Web exclusives at educationnorthwest.org

10
2	 educationnorthwest.org

departments

	 3	 ceo’s Message

	 4 Editor’s Note

	34	 Voices

Seizing the Opportunity: A Conversation Between

Diana Oxley and Karen Hawley Miles

	37	 Research Brief

Linking Resources and Results

	39 End Note

	40 Education Northwest News

Introducing Education Northwest	

Reaching Out to Regional Constituents	

REL Studies and Events Share Research	

New Director Joins Education Northwest	

Conference Call	

National Study Examines Use of Research	

Study of Idaho Charter Schools	

Flashback

What the Research Says (or Doesn’t Say) 

Four-Day School Week

On the Web

Education Northwest Magazine is available online at

educationnorthwest.org. Look for Web exclusives,

marked with .

Education Northwest Magazine is published three times a year by

the Education Northwest. Past and current issues of the magazine

are available at educationnorthwest.org.

ISSN 1546-5020

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Carol F. Thomas

Deputy Executive Officer

Steve Fleischman

Administrative Director, Development and Communications

Dave Wilson

Managing Editor

Rhonda Barton

Issue Editor

Bracken Reed

Education Northwest News Writer

Kate Fitzgibbon

Staff Photographers

Michael Heavener, Sarah Giffrow

Design

Denise Crabtree

Data Analyst

Richard Greenough

Library Support

Linda Fitch

Webmaster

Jeff Jones

Circulation

Jean DeYoung

Statement of Purpose

Education Northwest Magazine aims to promote a regional dialogue

and to elevate teaching and learning by giving readers the best information, ideas, and personal stories from practitioners, researchers,

and other experts.

Copyright © 2009, Education Northwest

Articles and information in this publication may be reproduced

and distributed without permission for nonprofit educational and

professional development purposes. Please acknowledge Education

Northwest as the source.

education 

Northwest magazine
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 3

education northwest 

Board of Directors

Jerry Colonna (Chair)

Superintendent, Beaverton School District (OR)

Dr. Joanne Erickson (Secretary-Treasurer)

Associate Professor, Montana State University

Dr. Barbara L. Adams

Researcher, Alaska Statewide Mentor Project 

Steve Bradshaw

Superintendent, Sitka School District (AK) 

Doreen Brown (Regional Parent Representative)

Supervisor, Indian Education, Anchorage School District 

(AK)

Susan Castillo

Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction

Karanja Crews

Teacher, Portland Public Schools (OR)

Juan Carlos Cuadros 

Elementary Assistant Principal, Springfield Public 

Schools (OR)

Randy Dorn

Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction

Dr. Patrick Haggarty (Private School Representative)

Superintendent, Chief Diocesan Administrator 

Diocese of Helena, Missoula (MT)

Jeri Harris

Teacher, Seattle School District (WA)

Dr. Mary Alice Heuschel

Superintendent, Renton School District (WA)

Dr. Jannette R. Hill

Chair, Division of Education 

Lewis-Clark State College (ID)

Wendy Horman

School Board Member, Bonneville Joint School District 

(ID)

Denise Juneau

Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction 

Jerry Keane 

Superintendent, Post Falls School District (ID)

Larry LeDoux

Alaska Commissioner of Education

Tom Luna

Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction

Dr. Bruce Messinger

Superintendent, Helena Public Schools (MT)

Dr. Geoffrey Mills

Dean, Southern Oregon University 

Sean Murray (Regional Business Representative)

President, RealTime Performance (WA)

Dr. Perla Rodriguez (Regional Parent Representative)

Elementary Principal, Forest Grove School District (OR)

Mo Sanders

Principal, Soldotna Montessori Charter School (AK)

Corri Smith

Teacher, Great Falls School District (MT)

Frederick H. Striker

School Board Member, Battle Ground (WA)

Dr. Tom Stritikus

Associate Dean, College of Education 

University of Washington

Colleen Thompson

Teacher, Riverside Elementary School (ID)

Carol VanDerWege

Teacher, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (AK)

Jeff Weldon (Regional Business Representative)

Attorney, Felt, Martin, Frazier & Weldon PC (MT)

ceo’s message

Dear Reader,

Say “hello” to Education Northwest. We 

have changed our name. Many of you 

have known us as the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL). 

On September 1 we changed our name 

and became Education Northwest to 

better reflect our mission, our work, and 

our dedication to transforming teaching 

and learning. You might notice also that 

Education Northwest is a lot easier to 

say, and you don’t have to worry about 

how to pronounce the acronym (there 

isn’t one). 

Importantly, however, nothing substantive is going to change about our 

magazine—well, except for the name, 

that is. (In case you hadn’t noticed, our 

most recent issue’s masthead was Northwest Education, but now it’s Education 

Northwest Magazine.) Just as our new 

name renews our commitment to education as our sole organizational focus, 

our magazine will continue to discuss 

topics related to research, services, and 

products that matter to you, ranging 

across a spectrum from early childhood education research, to training senior citizen tutors, to assessing English 

language learner programs, to uses of 

education stimulus funding. 

This issue of Education Northwest is a 

good example of the breadth of our commitment to the concerns of education 

stakeholders, highlighting the theme 

of “Weathering the Storm” to deal with 

the effects of the economic recession on 

public schools in our northwest region. 

Feature stories about five schools in 

Montana, Oregon, and Washington deal 

with issues as diverse as coping with 

flood damage in an economic downturn to a superintendent’s leadership 

in creating a constructive atmosphere 

for making painful budget cuts. Two of 

the stories focus on experiences with 

American Recovery and Reinvestment 

Act stimulus funds, which we have been 

tracking for regional educators through 

a special section on our Web site: 

educationnorthwest.org/nwarra/.

So welcome to Education Northwest. 

We hope you will continue to travel with 

us under our new banner as we continue 

our quest to create strong schools and 

communities.

Carol Thomas

Chief Executive Officer
4 educationnorthwest.org

editor‘s note

Throughout the economic recession President Barack Obama has attempted to frame 

the situation as both a crisis and an opportunity. In his first address to a joint session of 

Congress in February 2009, for example, 

he said, “History reminds us that at every 

moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation 

has responded with bold action and big ideas .... We are a nation that has seen promise amid peril, and claimed opportunity 

from ordeal.”

In a weekly radio and video address in March 2009, he again 

urged all Americans to “discover great opportunity in the midst 

of great crisis.” In perhaps no other sector of the economy is 

this more possible than in public education. 

Under the leadership of the president and his Secretary of 

Education Arne Duncan, the federal government is pouring 

approximately $90 billion into public education via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). From the formula-driven parts of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which 

have already gone out, to the competitive Investment in Innovation (i3) and Race to the Top grants that will be awarded in 

the months ahead, education is receiving a one-time investment of a magnitude that is not likely to be seen again for at 

least a generation. Secretary Duncan has called it “an unprecedented investment in cutting-edge ideas that will produce the 

next generation of school reforms.” 

In this issue of Education Northwest Magazine (for more on 

the name change see the letter from Chief Executive Officer 

Carol Thomas on p. 3) we wanted to present a snapshot of how 

this is currently playing out “on the ground” in our region. Are 

“tough times mak[ing] it possible to take on tough issues,” as 

educational expert Karen Hawley Miles suggests in this issue 

(see Voices, p. 34)? Or have states simply been trying to keep 

their heads above water, using stimulus funds to “backfill” 

depleted education budgets? 

What we have found is a little of both. For now, innovation is 

taking a backseat to simply surviving, although the tough times 

have indeed led to new kinds of collaboration and teamwork as 

educators strive to do “more with less.” 

In our region, some states have been hit harder than others. The public education systems in Montana and Alaska, for 

example, have remained relatively unscathed, although both 

states foresee potentially tough times ahead. 

In places such as Vernonia (see p. 28), in Northwest Oregon, 

however, the situation is more dire. This small, rural district 

was still reeling from the effects of a major flood when it was hit 

by the “double whammy” of the recession. High school classes 

are still being held in portables, and the ARRA money the district expected to receive for rebuilding has not come through.

Other districts we profile in this issue include Twin Falls, in 

southern Idaho, which took a unique approach to cutting the 

necessary $1.8 million from its budget; Springfield, Oregon, 

whose dynamic superintendent laid the groundwork for dealing with the effects of the recession long before anyone saw it 

coming; Federal Way, Washington, which has managed to retain its most successful and innovative programs even in the 

face of historic budget cuts, and continues to lead the fight for a 

better state funding structure; and Great Falls, Montana, which 

has already put its ARRA funding to work in ways that will 

have a positive impact long after the stimulus program—and 

hopefully the recession—is over. 

Once again, we hope you will find both inspiration and innovative ideas in these stories of your peers who are, indeed, 

finding opportunity and renewed strength in the face of crisis. 

—Bracken Reed, Bracken.Reed@educationnorthwest.org

© Slavoljub Pantelic
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 5

education Northwest magazine Features

fall 2009 / Vol. 15. No. 1

 Assessing the economic damage to Northwest public schools 6

 A high school manages to make cuts but leave programs intact 10

Collaborative decision making helps an Idaho district stay on course 14

Working together to make cuts in an Oregon district 18

 How one Montana district maximized its federal stimulus dollars 24

 A rural school district is hard hit by the economy and Mother Nature 28

weathering the storm

How Northwest School Districts Are Dealing with the Economic Recession
6 educationnorthwest.org

As students headed back to school this fall, there were some 

positive signs on the economic front. Although the state of the 

U.S. economy is far from moving into full recovery, it appears 

that the crisis will not reach the scale of the Great Depression, 

as many had feared. In August, many economists and politicians were already declaring that the recession was over. While 

this news may signal some hope, the recovery is likely to be a 

gradual one, especially for the states. 

State fiscal conditions typically lag behind a national economic recovery. The economic downturn has resulted in state 

budget shortfalls across the nation. Most states, including all 

five states in the Northwest, have laws in place that prevent 

them from running a deficit. Therefore any shortfalls in revenue require states to make cuts in spending, unless they are 

able to draw on a reserve or “rainy day” fund.

Because education is one of the largest line items in state 

and local budgets, any decrease in a state’s tax revenue has a 

substantial impact on schools. Federal funds for education account for only a small proportion of the money that schools 

receive. As figure 1 shows, funding from state and local sources 

accounts for between 85 and 90 percent of school funding.

The Funding Crisis

An Ov erview

Story by jennifer stepanek

Data analysis by richard greenough

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

25%

60%

15%

Alaska

48%

39%

13%

Montana

51%

10%

39%

Oregon

61%

31%

8%

Washington

Federal

State

Local

67%

23%

Idaho

10%

Figure 1. Revenues for Public Education by Source, 2006–2007

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), 

“National Public Education Financial Survey (State Fiscal),” FY1987 to present, retrieved 

September 8, 2009, at http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/bat/.

© Alex Slobodkin/iStockphoto
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 7

Due to the economic recession, state spending on services 

such as education, health care, and prisons was down 2.2 percent in the 2009 fiscal year, and was expected to decline another 

2.5 percent in FY2010. This is the first time that state spending 

has declined for two consecutive years in the 30 years that the 

National Governors Association and the National Association 

of State Budget Officers have done fiscal surveys of states.

All five states in the Pacific Northwest have seen similar declines. Information on the first eight months of the fiscal year 

2009 (which ended in July 2009) shows decreases in personal 

income tax, sales tax, and corporate income tax revenue (see 

table 1). 

Table 1. Performance by Major Tax Categories in Five 

Northwest States

First 10 months of FY2009 (July 2008 to April 2009) compared to same 

period in FY2008

AK ID MT OR WA

Personal income tax N/A -17.8% -5.1% -13.0% N/A

General use and sales tax N/A -9.5% N/A N/A -14.1%

Corporate income tax -32.0% -20.6% +8.8% -44.0% N/A

N/A = Not applicable (state does not have the tax category)

Data source: National Conference of State Legislatures, State Tax Performance Through 

April 2009, www.ncsl.org/documents/fiscal/StateTaxPerformanceJune2009.pdf

As a result of these decreases, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and 

Washington all faced significant budget gaps in the 2009 and 

2010 fiscal years (see table 2). Montana is one of only two states 

in the nation that did not have a budget shortfall. 

Table 2. Estimated Budget Gaps by State

AK ID MT OR WA

FY2009 Budget Gap $360 mil 452 mil 0 442 mil 1.3 bil

FY2010 Budget Gap $ 1.3 bil 411 mil 0 4.2 bil 3.6 bil

The Crisis in the Northwest

In spite of the budget shortfall, the Alaska Legislature initiated 

the first state-funded preschool program in FY2010. The state 

has a constitutional budget reserve fund with $7 billion and 

a statutory budget reserve fund with $1 billion. The state will 

draw on these funds to address the current budget shortfalls. 

One challenge that Alaska faces is the annual formula increases 

for education that are built into the budget by law.

In Alaska, local property and sales taxes are used to fund 

school budgets. Alaska is the only state in the region in which 

the schools are fiscally dependent, meaning that school boards 

do not have the authority to levy taxes. Instead, Alaska levies an 

annual statewide property tax on oil and gas property. 

Idaho reduced education funding for the first time in state 

history, with 3.2 percent cut from the budget. The FY2010 education budget includes reductions in payroll costs of 2.6 percent for teachers and certified staff and 5 percent for administrators. Districts can choose how to implement these payroll 

deductions. 

In spite of these cuts, the state still faced a $151 million shortfall for FY2010 as of early September. The state will tap into the 

public education stabilization fund to prevent further cuts in 

K–12 education. State officials used funds from this reserve account to help offset multimillion-dollar deficits in Idaho’s general operating budget for FY2009. The public education stabilization fund is one of the state’s four budget reserve accounts.

With revenues from oil, gas, agriculture, and minerals, Montana began 2009 with the largest budget surplus in state history, 

approximately $1 billion. However, when the fiscal year ended 

on June 30, 2009 the surplus was less than half that amount, 

at approximately $369 million. In addition, the state legislature 

has predicted a 5.2 percent drop in tax revenues during the 

course of the 2010–2011 biennium. Federal stimulus money, 

rather than state revenue, helped the state retain its planned 3 

percent boost in funding for K–12 education, which allowed 
8 educationnorthwest.org

the legislature to put that 3 percent of state money into other 

areas of the budget. Public school advocates in Montana point 

out that education has helped soften the blow of the recession 

on other sectors of the state’s economy, and hope the legislature 

will acknowledge that role in the next budget cycle. 

In Oregon, the state government is responsible for a large 

proportion of funding for school districts. To deal with a $4 

billion shortfall, the state slashed millions of dollars in school 

funding. Many school districts were forced to lay off teachers, 

freeze or cut wages, eliminate funds for new textbooks and 

technology, and increase fees for extracurricular activities. Uncertainty about district budgets is amplified by the state’s school 

funding equalization procedures. Funding allocations are revised throughout the year based on student enrollment. This 

means that schools often end up with either less money than 

they budgeted or a surplus that does not have a planned use.

In September 2009, Oregon reported that revenue is likely 

to come in at $182 million less than expected when the biennial budget was initially developed. The two-year budget also 

relies on tax increases—one on personal income tax for those 

earning more than $250,000 a year and another that raises the 

minimum corporate income tax. These tax increases are likely 

to be put to a public vote in January 2010. 

The state’s $6 billion basic school funding budget for the 

two-year (2009–2011) period shows $539 million, or 9 percent 

of its money, coming from state lottery profits. The lottery also 

provides some stability because 18 percent of lottery money 

goes into the state’s education stability fund, which can only be 

tapped during a recession. Unfortunately, according to a report 

from the Rockefeller Institute, state lottery funds across the 

country are down for the first time in history. Oregon is among 

those that have been hit the hardest, with a 15 percent decrease 

in lottery profits. One of the reasons for the sharp drop in lottery income may be unemployment—Oregon currently has the 

nation’s second-highest unemployment rate.

Washington is faced with the largest budget shortfall in state 

history. The state cut approximately $800 million from K–12 

education in its FY2010–2011 biennium budget. Stimulus 

funds that go directly to school districts are expected to make 

up for $400 million of those cuts. Due to the magnitude of the 

crisis, Governor Chris Gregoire recently relented on her position against raising taxes.

The current budget situation may also jeopardize an education bill that the state legislature passed in early 2009. One of 

the primary features of the bill is a mandate that fixes maximum class size at 15 students for grades K–3 and 25 students 

in grades 4–12. Rather than allocating funds to enact the law, 

the legislature recently created a task force to develop funding formulas and revenue sources. The group’s report is due in 

December 2009.

The National Recovery Effort

Cuts in education spending have consequences beyond the immediate impact on schools, teachers, and students. K–12 and 

higher education are a large part of the U.S. economy. During 

the 2007–2008 school year, the expenditures of educational institutions were estimated to be more than $1 trillion. Elementary and secondary schools account for 62 percent of this total 

Guidance on ARRA

With the infusion of $115 billion in short-term aid from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA ), states, districts, and 

schools have a unique opportunity to fund programs that could 

improve student achievement for generations to come. Through 

our online Northwest Education Recovery Clearinghouse, we are 

helping educators navigate ARRA and decide how to spend these 

one-time funds, especially under a fast-track time line. The Clearinghouse—at educationnorthwest.org—offers considerations for 

investing; links to the latest federal and state resources; access to 

products and services that meet Department of Education goals 

and local needs; and an opportunity to get answers to specific 

questions.

Unfortunately, according to 

a report from the Rockefeller 

Institute, state lottery funds 

across the country are down for 

the first time in history. Oregon 

is among those that have been 

hit the hardest, with a 15 percent 

decrease in lottery profits. 
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 9

and higher education accounts for the remaining 38 percent. 

These expenditures are estimated to be approximately 7.4 percent of the gross domestic product for that year. K–12 education also represents a large employment sector, and education 

spending cuts that lead to job losses may result in further economic downturn. 

Because of the potential devastation to the public education 

system and because of the importance of education to the U.S. 

economy, investments in education are a cornerstone of the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The State 

Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) was created to help minimize 

state budget cuts for education and other essential services. For 

these reasons, the priorities of the stimulus package were to 

protect jobs, fill budget gaps, and enable states and districts to 

spend the money quickly.

The money is distributed by the states, but goes directly to 

school districts. It is not to be used for state programs, nor do 

the states have a say in how the money is spent. The amount 

of money that states receive is not based on the size of their 

budget gaps, but on other factors. The first round of funding 

in the SFSF was made available quickly and with few strings 

attached. In the second round, states are required to submit 

more detailed information about how the funds will be used to 

improve student learning. These plans must address the “four 

assurances” that were written into the law, requiring states to: 

•	 Adopt rigorous standards and high-quality assessments

•	 Establish data systems and use data for improvement

•	 Increase teacher effectiveness and the equitable distribution 

of effective teachers

•	 Turn around the lowest performing schools

The Recovery Act also includes funds that are distributed 

through the existing formulas from Title I of the Elementary 

and Secondary Education Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004. These congressionally 

mandated formulas take into account such measures as population, poverty rates, and student enrollment. States are encouraged to invest these funds in one-time expenditures that will 

improve student achievement, rather than developing new programs that will be discontinued when the funding goes away. 

The Department of Education identified potential types of onetime investments, including repairing school buildings, funding professional development programs, and building school 

and district capacity to use data systems. Table 3 gives an overview of the formula-based funding streams for K–12 education 

included in the ARRA. 

Table 3. Funds for K–12 Education in ARRA

State Fiscal 

Stabilization Funds

$53.6 billion

One-time appropriations intended primarily to 

help stabilize state and local budgets in order to 

minimize and avoid reductions in education or 

other essential services

Title I Funds

$10 billion

Support for schools that have high concentrations 

of students from families that live in poverty to 

improve outcomes for students most at risk of 

failing to meet academic standards

IDEA Grants

$12.2 billion

Funds to help ensure that children with disabilities have access to a free and appropriate public 

education and to implement statewide programs 

that make early interventions available to infants 

and toddlers with disabilities

Education 

Technology Grants

$650 million

Grants intended to improve student achievement through the use of technology in schools, 

to ensure that every student is technologically 

literate, and to encourage the effective integration of technology through teacher training and 

curriculum development

Impact Aid Funds

$100 million

Funds for school construction activities, including 

remodeling or repairing existing facilities

McKinney-Vento 

Homeless Assistance Funds

$70 million

Support for states and districts to address the 

educational and related needs of homeless 

children and youth

See Ov erview, page 33

the funding crisis
10 educationnorthwest.org

Holding Onto What Matters Most

A Washington district strives to make strategic cuts while protecting programs. 

Story by Rhonda Barton, photos by Federal Way Sc hool District

FEDERAL WA Y, Washington—Sally McLean, the chief financial officer of Washington’s 

eighth-largest school district, sums up the current situation this way: “We’re working 

hard on doing more with less.”

Everyone from superintendents to custodians across the state would undoubtedly 

agree with that assessment as Washington faces the deepest cuts to public school funding in decades. The 2009–2010 state education budget was slashed by $700 million 

to $6.8 billion. “The Washington state constitution says education is the ‘paramount 

duty’ of the state and because of that about 40 percent of state funds go to education. 

So, in terms of budget cuts, education is usually one of the last things to go,” says Nathan Olson, the communications manager for the Office of Superintendent of Public 

Instruction. However, with the state facing a $9 billion shortfall for the biennium, 

education was on the chopping block, along with everything else. 

In districts large and small, reduced budgets have translated into bigger class sizes, 

personnel layoffs, the elimination of programs, and penny pinching that has included 

everything from eliminating bus stops to hiking student athletic fees, to deferring 

textbook purchases. 

McLean’s district, Federal Way, took a $10 million hit in state funding this year, 

even with the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) money factored in. Without the recovery dollars, the district’s loss would have been twice as 

much. “Ten million dollars was difficult for us,” says McLean, “but $20 million would 

have been devastating. We could turn off the lights, turn off the water, not buy another 

piece of paper, not pay for insurance or diesel fuel, stop buying everything, and we still 

wouldn’t be able to make up a $20 million shortfall.” 

The district, in a diverse and largely middle class community 20 miles south of 

Seattle, balanced its budget by laying off nine teachers and involuntarily transferring 

39 others into vacant positions. A dozen classified staff lost their jobs and each of the 

four comprehensive high schools gave up an assistant principal. 
Education 

Northwest magazine/ fall 2009 11

Students in an Interactive Biology 

class participate in two science labs 

each week as part of Federal Way 

High’s rigorous Cambridge Program. 
12 educationnorthwest.org

McLean acknowledges it could have 

been worse: Federal Way has been retrenching since 2003, letting go of programs such as outdoor education and elementary band and reducing librarians 

to one day a week in secondary schools. 

“We’ve been fortunate in that we’ve been 

challenged before,” says McLean. “What 

happened this year was a shock for many 

communities, [but] we’ve been having 

the conversation about budgets every 

year for nine years, so we have a strong 

community understanding and support 

of what we’re dealing with.” 

In fact, the 

community has supported a legal battle 

that Federal Way is waging with the state 

over how it distributes funds to districts 

(see “Fighting for Fair Funding,” p. 13). 

In the case, which is now before the 

Washington state 

Supreme Court, the 

district argues that the state’s formula is 

not uniform and therefore is unconstitutional because it violates the equal protection rights of teachers, students, and 

taxpayers. Maximizing 

Impact

Despite a long stretch of lean years, a 

visit to Federal Way High School shows 

just how successful the district has been 

in protecting programs that matter. 

Principal Lisa Griebel saw a 10 percent 

reduction in teaching staff this year, but 

she gives McLean and Superintendent 

Thomas Murphy credit for “working 

really hard to minimize the impacts to 

schools as much as they could.” Still, 

Griebel admits, “I did a lot of crying this 

year. It’s probably been my hardest year 

as a principal.” One change, driven by both budget 

considerations and student outcomes, 

was the reconfiguration of the freshman 

and sophomore houses. Previously, the 

houses comprised four teachers each—

math, social studies, English, and science—sharing 120–150 students. This 

year, Griebel took math out of the house 

system, maximizing staff hours and 

holding all math teachers responsible 

for student achievement. “Before, we 

had some math teachers only teaching 

upperclassmen and some only teaching ninth- and 10th-graders,” explains Griebel. “It caused this rift in the math 

department and questioning over who 

was to blame for low math scores. Now, 

everyone has the full spectrum of classes, 

from algebra on.” Extra support for struggling math 

students is provided through the school’s AVID (Advancement Via Individual 

Determination) program, which equips 

students with good study skills and helps 

them navigate the path to postsecondary 

education. 

In an innovative partnership, 

five full-time and five part-time AmeriCorps members serve as math tutors for 

the 265 AVID students. The tutors—

newly minted college grads—spend up 

to five hours a day in the classroom and 

two hours in an after-school study club. 

Three weeks into the new year, tutor 

Brian Wilbur says the work has been “all 

about building relationships and having 

kids trust you.” Griebel describes 

AVID as “transformational” and proudly points out that Federal Way is one of more than 100 

schools nationally that serve as demonstration sites for other schools that want 

to implement the program. “When [the 

district] looked at budget cuts they chose 

not to cut funding for 

AmeriCorps volunteers and in fact expanded it. We 

wouldn’t be able to run the program if it 

wasn’t for that,” she says. Another highly touted program that 

survived the budget axe is the Academic 

Success Academy, which works on credit 

retrieval for seniors at risk of not graduating. The brainchild of two Federal 

Way High School teachers, this schoolwithin-a-school served 42 students last 

year but had to ratchet up the number 

to 55 kids this year in order to justify the 

expense. Diverse 

Courses for Diverse 

Students

Because career and technical education 

(CTE) classes have a separate, richer 

funding stream, 

Federal Way has tried 

to maximize its CTE curriculum. 

In the 

automotive shop, five cars, including a 

couple of police cruisers, stand ready for 

new brakes or suspension systems. 

Next 

door, Construction 

Technology students 

sporting goggles lean over table saws and 

power drills. Down the hall, the Digital 
Fighting for Fair Funding

Like David battling Goliath, Federal Way 

has taken on the state in a lawsuit over inequitable distribution of state funds to 

school districts. Both parties are now 

awaiting a decision by the Washington Supreme Court that is expected to have broad 

implications for the entire system of funding education in the state.

Federal Way took the state to court in 

2006, claiming that the state’s complicated 

method for allocating basic education 

funds to districts is unconstitutional. The 

current formula pays districts varying 

amounts for each certificated instructional 

and administrative staff member and for 

classified staff, based on historic salary 

schedules.

According to Senior Assistant Attorney 

General David Stolier, the disparity 

amounts to a 4.9 percent difference between the best-funded and the least-funded districts. Federal Way, which ranks 263 

out of 296 districts in dollars-per-student 

funding, estimates it would receive approximately $11 million more per year from 

the state if the same formula were applied 

to all districts. 

According to Federal Way Superintendent Thomas Murphy, “There is no rational 

basis for the differences in funding of 

school districts. The state legislature has 

simply taken the school funding inequities 

declared unconstitutional in 1977 and frozen them in place without any meaningful 

or substantial change for 30 years.”

King County Superior Court Judge Mike 

Heavey agreed with Federal Way. In November 2007, he said, “The plaintiffs have 

shown beyond reasonable doubt that 

school districts are funded at disparate levels: that the disparate levels are based on a 

discredited and unconstitutionally funded 

system of 30 years ago. There is no rational 

reason to continue this.”

This summer the high court heard arguments in the case. There’s no indication 

when the justices will rule on this lawsuit 

or on two other active suits dealing with 

K–12 state funding. Meanwhile, even if the 

Supreme Court decides in its favor, Federal 

Way isn’t expecting a quick fix. “We would 

expect legislative relief and whether that 

comes about by bringing equity to the current system or by redesigning the system, 

we’ll have to wait and see,” said Federal 

Way Chief Financial Officer Sally McLean. 

But, she added, “children should not be 

harmed by the geography of where they 

attend school.” 

Teacher Karin Weberg leads an animated economics discussion as part of AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a program that helps students transition to college.

Communication class is going over the 

finer points of business etiquette and 

creating thank you letters, to be sent 

within three days of participating in job 

shadows. Crews from Video Production 

stop to interview students in the hallways as part of a video get well card for a 

student suffering through a second bout 

of leukemia. In the portables outside, 

students snap to attention when a visitor 

strolls into their Air Force ROT C class, 

which blends leadership training with 

aviation history. The list of CTE options 

stretches on—from horticulture to interior design, commercial photography, 

child development, culinary arts, graphic design, accounting, Web design, and 

American Sign Language.

It seems there’s a program to appeal to 

each one of Federal Way High School’s 

almost 1,600 students. In addition to accessing this wide array of career courses, 

12 percent of the student body is enrolled in the highly rigorous Cambridge 

Program, a British version of the International Baccalaureate program. More 

than half of the students take at least one 

Advanced Placement or pre-AP class.

The student body is as diverse as the 

course offerings: The cafeteria walls are 

crowded with a veritable United Nations’ display with flags from each of the 

61 countries of origin represented at the 

school. Almost a quarter of the students 

are Hispanic, while 14 percent identify 

as Asian, 18 percent as African American, and 4 percent as Pacific Islander.

“We’re here for the kids and we’re 

going to put together the best program 

possible—despite the budget cuts,” says 

Griebel, who greets each student by 

name as the halls fill between classes. 

“Even if we had no money, we’d still have 

a great program here because we have 

great kids and a dedicated staff that want 

to work here.” n

Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 13

holding on to what matters most
14 educationnorthwest.org
The Longest Year

A southern Idaho school district 

gives all classified staff members 

a voice in deciding how 

to make massive budget cuts.

Story and photos by Brack en Reed

TWIN FALLS, Idaho—As the 2008–2009 

school year began, Twin Falls School 

District Superintendent Wiley Dobbs 

felt that his district was in good shape. 

He looked forward to a busy and productive year, his sixth as superintendent, 

and to the challenge of two major projects: the continuing construction of a 

new multimillion dollar high school and 

a yearlong planning process to reconfigure the district’s grade level scheme by 

fall 2009. 

It was a heavy load, especially for a 

small district administrative staff that 

had lost one position during the past 

decade, even as enrollment increased by 

approximately 900 students. But Dobbs 

had reason for optimism. The construction project was well funded and on 

schedule—thanks to a successful bond 

levy in 2006—and the grade reconfiguration had widespread support. Financially, the district was in good health: not 

rich, by any means, but stable. And the 

news at the state level had the entire Idaho education community feeling good. 

Just before classes started that fall, 

Idaho’s State Superintendent Tom Luna 

had presented a budget proposal for 

the 2009–2010 school year that included “wonderful” increases in education 

spending. “We were all looking at a rosy 

picture,” recalls Dobbs.

By December, however, state tax receipts were in a free fall as the country headed into deep recession. The 

rosy picture quickly shaded toward 

“doom and gloom.” In January 2009, 

Governor Butch Otter made a dire 

state-of-the-state address to the legislature, confirming just how steep and 

fast the economic crash had been. The 

following day’s headline in the Idaho 

Statesman, the largest newspaper in the 

state, put the situation in stark terms: 

“Let the Cutting Begin.” 

The state soon retracted its initial education budget and submitted a revised 

one that called for a 5.3 percent reduction. As the general public was slow to 

understand, this did not mean a 5.3 percent reduction from the previously proposed budget, but from the actual operating budget of 2008–2009. Never in its 

history had Idaho funded education at a 

lower level than the previous year. 

For Dobbs and the Twin Falls School 

District, a challenging but manageable 

school year suddenly turned into a fullon crisis. It would be a year like no other, 

as they tried to stay on course with current projects, make the necessary cuts to 

avoid a financial emergency, and somehow stay true to their main commitments and objectives. 

A Lean Machine

The financial health of Twin Falls at the 

onset of the recession put them in a better position than many other districts in 

the state. Two things formed the foundation of that stability: a conservative fiscal 

policy and a supportive community. 

“We are a very fiscally conservative 

district,” says Dobbs. “We’re a lean machine. We try not to be wasteful in any 

way.” 

Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 15
The district’s frugal, industrious 

mind-set is reflective of the community 

as a whole, but the town has also shown 

a willingness to fully support its public 

schools. The $49.7 million bond levy that 

passed in March 2006, for example, was 

the third-largest in state history at the 

time. A large portion of the levy went 

to the construction of the new Canyon 

Ridge High School, but it also funded 

renovations and additions to several other buildings, and will fund a new middle 

school at some point in the future. 

Even for a district accustomed to 

squeezing the last penny out of every 

dollar, however, the state’s 5.3 percent 

budget cut was a punch in the gut. And 

true to its conservative nature, the district office and the board of trustees felt 

it wise to round up the cut to 6 percent. 

In real dollars, trimming 6 percent of the Twin Falls’ budget meant a 

loss of $1.8 million. With no inkling 

of the federal government’s economic 

stimulus plan, which would not be announced until March, the district office 

administrative team and the board of 

trustees immediately sprang into action.

“One thing we realized right away,” 

says Board Trustees Vice Chair Lori 

Ward, “is that a majority of the cuts were 

going to have to come from reducing labor costs. That’s just the reality. But we 

wanted to do that without sacrificing 

student achievement.”

As in most districts, staff salaries and 

benefits are more than 80 percent of 

Twin Falls’ total operating budget. That 

meant $1.3 of the total $1.8 million in 

cuts had to come from “people” rather 

than from maintenance, bussing, supplies, or other areas. In terms of teaching positions, $1.3 million meant cutting roughly 26 to 30 teachers. As Dobbs 

says, “There’s no way that cutting that 

many teachers isn’t going to negatively 

affect student achievement. We felt there 

had to be other options.” 

The district team spent several weeks 

looking at every possible option. The salary of a facilities manager, hired as part 

of the new high school construction, 

would expire when the school opened in 

September 2009. The district had hoped 

to roll that salary into the administrative 

budget, finally filling the staff position it 

had lost several years before. Instead, it 

would continue to do without. 

The district office also announced 

early on that it would share the pain. 

If teaching salaries would not increase 

based on the normal “lanes and steps,” 

then neither would those of administrators. These efforts, combined with several other measures—delaying a textbook 

adoption, restructuring the bus route, 

eliminating nonessential travel—helped 

close some of the gap. But the most painful cuts still loomed. 

The district team drew up a list of 

these options, created a presentation 

that outlined the pros and cons of each 

one, and then Dobbs made the presentation to the board. The team also had an 

unusual recommendation: They wanted 

to make the same presentation to every 

school in the district and then take a 

staff survey to help guide their decision. 

The Hard Decisions: The Role of the School Board in a Time of Crisis

“One of the most important things for a 

board to do in this situation is to clearly 

communicate your commitments and objectives and to do it early on,” says Lori Ward, 

vice chair of the Twin Falls Board of Trustees. 

“You’ve got to make the hard decisions, and 

you’ve got to do a good job of articulating 

the reasoning behind those decisions, both 

to staff and to the media. I think we’ve been 

successful, so far, because we didn’t hide 

from it and didn’t just hope it went away. As 

soon as we knew the bad news, we started 

talking about the bad news.”

Ward identifies three other factors that 

have helped the Twin Falls board play a 

positive role in hard times: 

•	 Financial expertise: “We’re quite fortunate that several of our current board 

members are from the financial field or 

from small business,” says Ward. “These 

are people who have dealt with construction budgets, for example, and who know 

about the bottom line. They’re used to 

making difficult financial decisions.”

•	 Statistical modeling: “Ironically, the 

process of getting a big bond levy 

passed [in 2006] really helped prepare us 

for the current crisis,” says Ward. As part 

of that process the board hired an architectural firm, which brought in an expert 

in statistical modeling. “That kind of strategic planning was a real shift in thinking for us,” says Ward. “Instead of using 

anecdotal evidence, we learned how to 

use a consistent, reliable, statisticallybased way of counting kids, identifying 

where they were located, and figuring 

out how to project where they would be 

in the future. We’ve continued to use 

that kind of approach, and it has saved 

us money. Ward adds that school districts can often collaborate with other 

local agencies that may already own the 

necessary software and have access to 

the appropriate databases. 

•	 A positive relationship with the district office: “In the past few years our 

board has tried hard to keep our involvement at the policy level,” says Ward. “We 

try not to get too involved in day-to-day, 

building-level, administrative operating 

decisions.” It can be a real fine line, she 

admits, pointing out that small, rural 

districts often need all hands on deck. 

“What’s important is that the relationship 

is clearly understood by both parties and 

that the lines of communication are open. 

We feel very positive about the relationship we have with the district, and that 

has definitely helped us in this situation.”

16 educationnorthwest.org

Vice Chair of the Twin Falls Board of 

Trustees, Lori Ward, and Superintendent 

Wiley Dobbs helped keep the district on 

course, even as it faced unprecedented 

budget cuts.
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 17

A Gutsy Move 

With the board’s approval, Dobbs took 

the presentation to the teachers’ union, 

and then to each school. At some schools 

he presented twice. “I basically said: 

‘Here are the tough choices. Here are 

our priorities. What do you guys think 

we should do?’’’ recalls Dobbs. 

The presentation outlined six possible 

options:

• Make uniform pay cuts, by school: All 

staff members would take a pay cut, 

based on the number of students in 

their school.

• Try to pass a supplemental levy.

• Institute a “pay to play” plan for all 

extracurricular activities.

• Give an across-the-board 5.5 percent 

pay cut to everyone in the district.

• Implement a four-day school week.

• Reorganize the class schedule at the 

secondary level: The existing A-B 

block schedule gave teachers a lot 

of preparation time, but was very 

expensive. 

In truth, the district team and the 

school board did have a favored option, as well as several they did not think 

would work. These opinions were based 

on the district’s two major commitments 

and on academic priorities that were already under way. “We wanted to clearly 

communicate that our main commitment was to do what’s best for students,” 

says Dobbs. “And then our other major 

commitment was to take care of our employees. It may sound obvious, but it was 

important to communicate that those 

were both very important to us.”

The district’s main academic priorities 

included keeping elementary class sizes 

optimal and continuing to push an elementary-level reading program that had 

helped students make significant gains. 

The latter program relied heavily on reading coaches that had initially been paid 

for with a Reading First grant, and later 

by a combination of Title I and general 

funds. As it turned out, federal American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds 

would help with both of those priorities, 

but they still loomed large when teachers 

took the survey about which cost-cutting 

option they preferred. 

The results were conclusive: Staff 

overwhelming preferred to reorganize 

the secondary schedule. “Hats off to the 

secondary folks,” says Dobbs. “They understood how important the elementary 

level is, how important it is that kids 

acquire those skills at a young age. The 

small class sizes, the reading coaches—

they knew it was critical.”

After getting the survey results the 

district and board again took a risky step. 

They decided to let the secondary teachers choose their preferred schedule, by 

majority vote. In the end, teachers chose 

to return to a traditional seven-period 

schedule. 

“We took a risk with the survey and 

with taking the final decision directly to 

the staff,” says Ward, “but I do think it 

was the right thing to do. Given the same 

situation, I think we would definitely try 

to solicit their opinion again, and try to 

give them a say in the final decision.”

Although a change in schedule may 

sound minor on the surface, it ultimately 

reduced 12 to 15 percent of staffing costs 

at each of the secondary schools in the 

district. Together with the other cuts, 

it was enough to make the $1.8 million 

mark. Amazingly, not a single staff person was laid off. “We didn’t have to go 

that route at all,” say Ward, “we just did 

it through attrition and the other steps 

we took. And we were able to maintain 

the normal steps and lanes in our salary 

schedule.”

Earning Trust, 

Looking Ahead

Almost exactly a year later, Dobbs looks 

back on the high-pressure 2008–2009 

school year as “the most challenging 

year we’ve ever had in our district, at 

least in my memory.” But he also views 

it with pride. “We had a real opportunity to earn even more respect and more 

confidence from our community,” he 

says. “And I think we did. We handled 

ourselves professionally, came together, 

and made the tough decisions.”

So far, it has paid off. As of October 

2009, one in five Idaho school districts 

has declared a financial emergency—

a process only made possible by the 

passage of House Bill 252 in April of this 

year—but Twin Falls is not among them. 

And in all the turmoil, they did not 

lose sight of the big projects that Dobbs 

originally thought would dominate 

his school year. Canyon Ridge High 

School—an impressive, state-of-the-art 

building whose curved hallways and 

spotless classrooms are flooded with 

beautiful Southern Idaho light—opened 

right on schedule this fall. The districtwide grade reconfiguration, which in itself was extremely time-consuming and 

expensive, also went off without a hitch. 

For now, Dobbs is once again feeling 

good about the condition of the district. 

“Things may get worse,” he says. “There 

may be deeper cuts and we may have to 

revisit all this again, but I have a lot of 

faith in our school district and in our 

community. We’ll be all right.” n

the longest ye ar

The Twin Falls community has shown 

outstanding support for public education, 

passing a bond levy in 2006 that funded 

the construction of the new Canyon Ridge 

High School.
18 educationnorthwest.org

Beyond the 

Bottom Line

Springfield Public Schools Makes the Best of a Bad Situation

An Oregon district pulls together to reduce its budget and 

strengthen its commitments to staff and students. 

SPRING FIELD, Oregon—At a November 2008 school leaders’ meeting in the 

state capital, Governor Ted Kulongoski announced a projected $142 million 

state budget deficit for Oregon schools. Upon returning to Springfield, Oregon, Superintendent Nancy Golden contacted leadership from the district’s 

three employee associations and asked them to work closely with the district to 

determine how to survive the most drastic budget cuts in the district’s history.

“She got right on the problem, and stayed on it through what turned out to 

be a six-month roller coaster,” says School Board Member Garry Weber. 

Due in large part to that leadership, Springfield Public Schools, a mediumto-large school district serving 11,000 students with 1,300 employees, managed not only to weather the storm during a severe budget crisis, but also to 

strengthen relationships among its three associations: the Springfield Education Association (SEA), representing certified staff; the Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA), representing classified or nonteaching staff; and 

the Springfield Association of Administrators and Confidentials (SAAC), a 

nonbargaining association for principals and other staff.

Story by Jacqueline Raphael

Photos by Sarah Giffrow and Sp ringfield Pub lic Sc hools

Superintendent Nancy 

Golden gets serious 

about understanding 

a Springfield Public 

School employee’s job.
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 19
Leading Collaboratively 

It takes a gifted leader to bring people 

together during a crisis. Since becoming superintendent in 2003, Golden has 

worked hard at uniting the Springfield 

school community around its students, 

more than half of whom live below the 

poverty line. Her first major initiative 

involved conducting conversations between district staff and nearly 1,000 

community representatives to develop 

a detailed blueprint for the district’s future. The Springfield Quality Education 

Model (SQEM), completed in 2004, 

describes community priorities in every area important to schools. To this 

day it provides a map for referencing 

the district’s goals, planning, and longterm efforts to break the cycle of poverty 

and improve outcomes for all children. 

Having the SQEM plan in place helped 

Springfield keep focused on its key goals, 

even during the economic crisis. 

To increase her leadership capacity, 

Golden challenges herself to become familiar with the work lives of district employees. Teachers and students still talk 

about the time she showed up to substitute teach in a third-grade classroom. 

She’s also changed the oil under the 

hood of a school bus and served breakfast on the cafeteria line. Her propensity for turning up in school buildings 

isn’t just for show: Golden frequently 

advocates for improved personnel policies based on what she hears directly 

from employees, as well as her own experiences, starting 30 years ago, with 

her first education job in Springfield’s 

human resources department. 

Golden also observes every new 

teacher’s classroom at least once and 

functions as a strong instructional leader 

throughout the district’s 26 schools. Even 

when times are tough, she demonstrates 

respect for her staff ’s capabilities. When 

she first arrived in Springfield, the district faced oversight from the state due to 

student achievement challenges. Rather 

than looking to place blame, Golden told 

teachers, “Wherever we are is where we 

With a collaborative approach, unions and districts 

can solve problems together. Clockwise from top right: 

Yvonne Atteberry, Marilyn Clotz, Nancy Golden, SAAC 

facilitator Carl Swan, Dawn Strong, Judy Svoboda.

20 educationnorthwest.org
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 21

are. We’re all professionals. We’re just 

going to pull together and improve.” 

Connecting with people is part of 

Golden’s leadership philosophy: She believes the best leaders draw participants 

into the process of decision making. Weber says Golden was hired specifically 

because of her reputation for bringing 

people together. “In a time of limited 

educational resources and skyrocketing expectations,” he says, “we needed 

someone with Nancy’s skills as a listener 

and consensus builder.” 

Those skills also proved to be indispensable during the current budget crisis. 

Taking Steps To Stem the Tide 

Although many Oregon districts needed 

to make significant budget cuts in 2008 

due to the state’s shortfall (see page #), 

Springfield made use of an experienced 

mediator to facilitate dialogue between 

its three associations and district leaders. At Golden’s request, Michael Moffitt, a University of Oregon law professor 

and former supervisor of the Harvard 

Mediation Program who has worked 

with Springfield since 2005 on its collective bargaining negotiations, once again 

stepped in. “Most districts bring in someone when things are not going smoothly,” 

says Golden. “Our strategy was to be proactive so that we never got there.” 

During this crisis, Moffitt worked 

closely with the SEA bargaining team 

and served as overall facilitator. Marilyn Clotz, an experienced educator from 

Eugene who’d served on numerous bargaining teams, facilitated discussions 

to support the OSEA , and Assistant Superintendent Robert Hess served as the 

SAA C facilitator. Substantive conversations with staff would be critical to resolving the crisis because school districts, 

as service organizations, spend at least 80 

percent of their budget on personnel. In 

a shortfall, that is where districts must 

turn to reach their reduction targets.

The first step in addressing the crisis 

was the development of a plan to guide 

the district in making the necessary 

reductions. Golden and other district 

leaders created a detailed time line that 

specified meeting dates, goals, participants, tasks and persons responsible, 

and quick-turnaround deadlines. Additionally, the plan included guiding principles for determining reductions. These 

included increasing public trust and 

communicating fully with stakeholders. 

The plan went far to ensure that building principals, board members, and association leaders stayed informed and 

involved in all key decisions regarding 

the reductions, and the detailed schedule minimized the likelihood of a lastminute rush. 

Another important step for Springfield was to clarify for each association, 

school, and district leader exactly how 

much money was available, and the 

amount that would need to be cut to 

achieve an overall balanced budget.

“To help everyone grasp the complexities of school budgeting, we created 

spreadsheets based on the actual human resources payroll system,” explains 

Why Use a Facilitator?

Third-party negotiators are brought 

into school collective bargaining sessions for many reasons, according to Michael Moffitt and Marilyn Clotz, who facilitated recent agreements at 

Springfield Public Schools and the nearby Eugene school district. These reasons 

may include poor communication, lack 

of trust, a need for specialized knowledge, or the fact that a neutral party 

can raise difficult issues more effectively than bargaining team members. 

“Even if the people on both sides are 

very informed and skilled, there are a 

whole bunch of reasons they may not 

do as well on their own, including simply wanting to protect the good relationship they already have,” Moffitt says. 

“It’s tough to talk about tough issues.”

“Many school districts have the talent to 

do this work, but not the time,” adds Clotz. 

Economic downturns often mean more information may need to be gathered and 

shared with parties before getting down 

to the brass tacks of negotiating.

“Unlike collective bargaining in the private sector, school negotiations are based 

on a fixed budget,” says Moffitt. “Parties 

need to agree on how much money can be 

spent on compensation and other benefits 

to ensure the best education for kids.”

Without trust, the complicated ins-andouts of school finance lead the different 

sides to distrust each other’s numbers. 

Both parties will claim different amounts of 

money are available for negotiation. “Neither side is really acting unreasonably,” 

Moffitt continues. “With its long memory, 

the union will recall times when there 

wasn’t money officially, but the district 

ended up with an ending balance. Same 

thing with the district; it will remember 

times it actually committed and then had 

to make painful cuts in the end due to enrollment, roll-ups, state budget cuts, loss 

of grants and federal funding, retirements, 

and a host of other factors. Retirements—

which you can’t always anticipate—make a 

huge difference, too.”

Springfield Director of Business Operations Brett Yancey, who’s been involved 

in traditional as well as facilitated bargaining, says Moffitt and Clotz were critical to the district’s success last year. 

“They established a common knowledge 

base and helped us see that we can 

agree to disagree, but still build trust.” 

Yancey thinks all districts should consider using facilitators. “In the long run, 

it’s far less expensive than traditional 

bargaining,” he says. 

Springfield Director of Communications Jeff DeFranco points out that the 

close connections that were so beneficial during the budget crisis weren’t 

forged overnight. “It takes time, and you 

have to start early,” he suggests.

Moffitt agrees. “I don’t think you can 

‘parachute’ into a district with the approach we used this year,” he says. “In 

the past, there hadn’t been a shared understanding about the numbers. The 

times when that will bite you is when 

there really aren’t enough dollars.” 

beyond the bottom line
22 educationnorthwest.org

Moffitt. The group projected these 

spreadsheets on large screens and then 

demonstrated where every penny came 

from, how it was spent, and how much 

would be saved with certain changes. It 

was a profound lesson in how nonlinear 

budgeting can be. 

“It was actually really fun high 

school algebra,” Moffitt jokes, “but with 

some focused attention, we got everyone 

to a higher level of understanding.” 

Judy Svoboda, current president 

of SEA , remembers the budget tutorial. “These weren’t collective bargaining 

meetings,” she says. “We weren’t making 

any commitments. The purpose was to 

understand things such as the real cost 

to the district of, for example, a 1 percent 

increase in the cost-of-living allowance. 

By making this extra effort, we started 

to understand what a small change can 

mean across all the pay levels.” 

“It sounds simple but it’s not,” agrees 

Springfield Director of Business Operations Brett Yancey. “Because districts 

often use projections for budgeting, we 

may end up with more money in the 

spring than we’d predicted earlier.” He 

also explains that if a district saves a lot 

of money in its reserve account, bargaining team members might think the 

district is being too conservative, holding on to funds that ought to be spent. 

This is especially common when budget 

cuts are looming. “Conversations can 

become very adversarial,” he says. 

By the end of the facilitated meetings, 

the bargaining teams and the other representatives—two dozen individuals in 

all—truly understood how the school 

budget was put together and were ready 

to discuss how to arrive at a balanced 

budget. Then everything changed.

The Crisis Escalates

Just three months after the Governor’s 

first announcement, the state predicted 

that the 2009–2011 biennium deficit 

could actually be as high as $4.4 billion. 

“All of a sudden our game plan had to 

completely change,” says Director of Human Resources Dawn Strong, who heads 

the district’s bargaining team. In consultation with its associations, Springfield determined it needed to double its 

reduction target. 

“I was very accustomed to conversations about cutting $8 million in a district 

our size,” says Golden, “but when it soared 

to over $15 million, I was shocked.” 

Although the district was committed 

to saving as many jobs as possible, once 

the reduction target soared, everyone 

knew there would have to be sacrifices. 

“We anguished over potential layoffs,” 

says Yancey. “We didn’t want to contribute to already high unemployment, 

especially because the district is Springfield’s second largest employer.”

Throughout the crisis, the district attempted to make the decision-making 

process transparent to all. Golden, Strong, 

and Yancey visited every school building 

in the district to answer questions from 

staff. Discussing the crisis directly with 

Golden and other district leaders helped 

develop trust and cooperation across the 

district, according to OSEA President 

Yvonne Atteberry. Because not everyone 

could attend these meetings, Golden and 

her staff summarized all the responses 

and the changing budget requirements 

in weekly e-mail messages. 

“There’s a fine line between communicating what’s critical and over-communicating, so that folks are drowning 

in information,” says Yancey. “Nancy 

was able to home in on the most important pieces. She didn’t water things down 

or overdo it.” 

Golden and others met frequently 

with principals and union leaders, and 

these representatives then conducted 

their own conversations with staff. “We 

talked to our members about the consequences of the various options, so that 

if they had to lose compensation, they 

could provide input on which way they 

could tolerate best,” says Svoboda. 

Working tirelessly together, all three 

associations and the district reached a 

one-year temporary agreement on how 

Springfield would achieve its fiscal target. Five instructional days were cut 

from the school calendar, and all staff 

took a 1 percent decrease in the cost-ofliving allowance. Agreements were also 

reached on insurance caps. There were 

staff reductions as well: nearly 20 classified staff members were laid off, and approximately 40 certified staff members 

who had retired, resigned, or gone on 

leaves of absence were not replaced. 

Throughout the crisis, Strong says the 

district was struck by how clearly employees at all levels understood the problem. 

“Because of all the time and effort invested, people understood more than they 

During a challenging year, lead facilitator 

Michael Moffitt and director of business 

operations Brett Yancey did their part to 

keep Springfield focused on its students.
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 23

would have otherwise. That meant when 

hard decisions had to be made, they felt 

they’d been treated fairly,” she says. 

Svoboda agrees. “Teachers recognized that life would be harder next year, 

but, more significantly, they understood 

that no one in Springfield was hiding 

anything from them.”

The Legacy 

This school year, Springfield class sizes 

are higher and certain programs and services have been cut. The silver lining in 

this district’s story has nothing to do with 

the bottom line, however. Nor is it the 

fact that leaders from the three associations felt that the “hits” were evenly distributed—although that is an important 

victory. Greater respect and a common 

knowledge base about school budgeting 

is what has given the district an advantage that will pay off in years to come. 

“Nancy focused on making this crisis 

an opportunity for empowerment rather 

than division,” says Yancey. “Seventeen 

percent of the budget is gone, yet we’ve 

still got strong relationships and high 

levels of trust. And, we’re still doing the 

best job we can educating students.” 

Not that Springfield is out of the 

woods. Like other Oregon districts, 

Springfield was forced to use one-time 

funds to achieve its reduction target. 

If the state doesn’t come up with more 

money next year, things could get worse. 

Yet, when all is said and done, Springfield didn’t stray far from its core mission. When asked early on during the 

crisis how the district would survive, 

Golden said, “17 percent of our alternative school’s students were homeless last year, and we continue to see an 

achievement gap among ethnic groups 

in our district. These are the sorts of 

things we’re going to stay focused on no 

matter what: Educating kids.” n

bey ond the bottom line

Golden takes time 

to get to know 

some of the most 

important people 

in the district. 
24 educationnorthwest.org

The nine new technology labs at East Middle 

School have energized both students and teachers.
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 25

Short-Term Stimulus, 

GREAT FALLS, Montana—Great Falls has 

seen its share of hard times. Located 

in North Central Montana on the high 

plains east of the Rocky Mountain Front, 

this small city of approximately 58,000 

has weathered many of the booms and 

busts that have shaped so much of the 

American West. Going back to the 

1880s, its character has been forged by 

hydroelectric dam projects on the Missouri River, which flows through the 

heart of town, and by the ever-shifting 

fortunes of the ranching, mining, and 

railroading industries. Since the 1940s, 

the up-and-down funding of the nearby 

Malmstrom Air Force Base has also contributed to the rocky economic ride. 

In many ways, however, the most recent boom cycle—the skyrocketing real 

estate market—never quite made it to 

Great Falls, or to most of Montana. As 

a result, the recent bust has also been 

less dramatic here than in other parts 

of the country. Although the Treasure 

State still ranks among the bottom 10 on 

many national economic indicators, it 

was one of the only states in the country 

to come through the 2008 recession with 

a budget surplus. As Great Falls Public 

Schools Superintendent Cheryl Crawley 

puts it, “Montana didn’t rise as much, so 

we didn’t fall as much.”

The pain may still be ahead, however. 

The state’s surplus, at one point thought 

to be a record $1 billion, eventually came 

in at approximately $369 million. While 

that’s still impressive, tax receipts for the 

most recent fiscal year were actually $36 

million below the legislature’s projections, signaling a slowdown that is likely 

to get worse in the short run. Some experts have already predicted that the 

state will need to dip into its “rainy day” 

fund in the next budget cycle. 

Even in the best of times Montana’s 

funding of public education has been 

controversial. In recent years the Montana Quality Education Coalition, a 

group of school districts (including 

Great Falls Public Schools) and education organizations, has brought a lawsuit 

against the state, arguing that educational funding does not meet the level required by the state constitution. Despite 

the muted impact of the recession, then, 

Montana educators have welcomed the 

federal stimulus money as a long-needed infusion of cash that can help move 

the state school system into the 21st century. In Great Falls, it has come just in 

the nick of time.

Cushioning the Blow

The situation at Great Falls Public 

Schools is similar to that of the state: 

relative fiscal health, but with the effects 

of the economic recession beginning to 

take a toll. “We’re a fiscally conservative 

district,” asserts Steve Erwin, vice chair 

of the school board. “Out of all the largest school districts in Montana we’re the 

most fiscally solvent.” 

Despite that responsible approach—

and perhaps with an already shaky 

economy, two wars, and a presidential 

election foremost on their minds—local 

taxpayers voted down a mill levy in 2008, 

the first time that had ever happened in 

Great Falls. As a result, the district was 

Story and photos by Brack en Reed

Long-Te rm Effe cts

One-time federal stimulus dollars help transform 

a Great Falls, Montana, middle school into 

a high-tech learning environment.
forced to cut $2.7 million from its operating budget just as the economy was 

beginning its downward spiral. It was a 

hard blow for a district that already had 

the smallest per-pupil spending rate of 

any large district in the state. 

For this reason, the $7 million the 

district has so far received as part of 

the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has been even more 

welcome than it would have been. “The 

stimulus money has allowed us to backfill some of things we were planning to 

do but hadn’t been able to start, “ says 

Erwin, “as well as some projects we had 

started and then had to stop because of 

the lack of funding.”

Spending the ARRA funds has not 

simply been a matter of plugging money into previously planned or existing 

programs, however. As school districts 

across the country have realized, figuring out how to spend several million 

dollars of one-time funds—while sticking to federal guidelines about how that 

money can be spent and not disrupting 

existing improvement efforts—can be 

more challenging than one might think. 

In places such as California, for example, 

local educational agencies have drawn 

the ire of the federal government for 

holding onto stimulus funds while waiting for more guidance, rather than distributing them immediately to schools. 

A high-pressure mix of urgency and 

accountability is inherent in the federal 

government’s four guiding principles for 

spending ARRA money:

• Spend funds quickly to save and create jobs.

• Ensure transparency, reporting, and 

accountability.

• Invest one-time funds thoughtfully to 

minimize the “funding cliff.”

• Improve student achievement 

through school improvement and 

reform.

That combination could be unnerving for a district that does not already 

have a well-developed instructional 

plan, a clear vision, and strong leadership. Thankfully, as the Great Falls administrative team sat down last spring 

to create its stimulus investment plan, it 

had all of these in place. 

Staying on Course

The nine-member district administrative cabinet began its ARRA planning in 

an old-fashioned way: sitting around a 

table brainstorming ideas and sketching 

them out on chart paper. Superintendent Crawley still has those charts in her 

office, and their multicolored arrows, 

scrawled wording, and hastily drawn 

diagrams are evidence of a creative giveand-take as the team hammered out the 

details. 

The $7 million Great Falls has received to date falls into two broad categories: academics, at $5.4 million, and 

facilities, which accounts for the remaining $1.6 million. By early June, the team 

already had the academic plan in place. 

In the interest of transparency, Crowley posted the entire plan—including 

program details and dollar amounts—

on the district Web site, even before the 

board had passed it. “In my view,” says 

Crowley, “having that ARRA information out there is going to keep negativity under control. It’s a way to preempt 

any criticism, as well as being the right 

thing to do. We want everything out in 

the open.”

The board of trustees approved the 

plan on June 22 and the district began 

to distribute funds immediately. Some 

funding did indeed go toward “backfilling”—funding things that had been 

in the planning stages or were already 

underway before the mill levy failed 

and before the effects of the recession 

were fully apparent. Others, however, 

had been well down the wish list, due to 

their expense. Whether old or new, one 

thing was immediately obvious: Many of 

the projects were specifically focused on 

closing the district’s equity and achievement gaps.

By Montana standards Great Falls is a 

large district, with approximately 10,500 

students in 20 schools, including 15 elementary schools, two middle schools, 

and three high schools. The total percentage of students qualifying for free or 

reduced-price lunch has risen steadily 

in recent years, but varies widely from 

school to school. Meadow Lark Elementary, for example, is only 8 percent Title 

I, while Longfellow Elementary, on the 

opposite side of town, is 91 percent. The 

district also has greater ethnic diversity 

than is typical of Montana, including the 

second-largest Native American population of any district in the state. 

Much of the city’s poverty is concentrated on the east side, and therefore a 

majority of these first-round stimulus 

funds—which are based on Title I and 

special education formulas—were inherently earmarked for projects that affected schools in that part of the city. But 

the investment plan also stayed closely 

aligned to the district’s long-term, wellestablished instructional goals. An infusion of so much one-time money could 

have thrown the team off course, but in 

Great Falls it did not. As a result, only 

a couple of months into the school year, 

many of the stimulus-funded projects 

are already having an impact. 

Transforming the Learning 

Environment

East Middle School celebrated its 50th 

anniversary last spring, but taking a 

look inside its classrooms today you 

might not guess its age. “We like to say 

that we’ve closed the door on the first 

50 years,” says Principal Shelly Fagenstrom, “and we’re opening the doors to 

the next 50. That’s our focus: to redesign 

this school to be a 21st century learning 

environment.” 

A grades 7–8 school, East, as it’s commonly referred to in the district, is organized into interdisciplinary academic 

Students have already embraced the 

school’s approach to integrating technology 

and academics.
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 27

teams made up of four core teachers—

one each for math, science, English, and 

social studies—and a common group of 

students. Each team occupies a specific 

wing of the building and stays together (or “loops”) for both of the middle 

school years. 

Until this year, however, all of the approximately 850 students shared 60 computers, which were spread among classrooms, a single media center, and the 

library. The stimulus-funded East Middle School Technology Plan has completely transformed those capabilities. 

The district invested $400,000 to create nine new technology labs at East: 

one for each of the six academic teams, 

as well as three “hard-wired” labs for all 

to use. Each team lab has 30 Dell Netbook laptops, run on a wireless network, 

as well as supporting equipment such as 

document cameras, “flip” video cameras, 

e-beams, whiteboards, and one set of external speakers. “It’s as state-of-the-art as 

we could make it at this point in time,” 

says Greg Clement, the school’s student 

services advocate, who worked with Jeff 

Patterson and the district technology 

team to design the system and get it running. “This puts us on the cutting edge of 

using technology in an educational setting, not just within the district but also 

in the state and maybe the region.” 

All students have individual log 

ins and their own segment of network 

space, giving them a secure “digital locker” in which they can store their information. In addition, the school adopted 

the Moodle learning platform, which allows students and staff to communicate 

online and access their digital files from 

home. 

Fagenstrom describes the technology 

plan as two-pronged. “There’s the technology itself and the ‘furniture’ that you 

need to go with it,” she says, “but then 

there’s also the staff support that you 

need to have in order to get the most out 

of it. You can’t just bring in the equipment and say ‘OK, here you go.’ It takes 

a lot of professional development. You’ve 

got to build capacity in the staff.” That 

capacity, she points out, is an example 

of how these one-time stimulus dollars 

will have an impact far beyond the initial 

investment. 

To maximize staff development, the 

school hired a full-time instructional 

technology coach, Leslie Lott. “Leslie’s 

job is not about fixing computers,” says 

Fagenstrom, “it’s about actually teaching staff how to use them—modeling 

lessons, helping teachers design lessons, 

and helping pull together all the resources so that teachers can get on with the 

job of bringing technology into everyday 

lessons.”

Opening Doors, Closing the Gap

At the heart of the technology project, 

says Fagenstrom, is the issue of equity. 

“For some students, we were asking 

them to ‘power down’ when they came 

to school,” she says, “and others were 

getting just a minimal amount of time 

with the technology and then nothing at 

home.” The school cannot put computers 

in every student’s home, she acknowledges, but they can embed technology in 

the classroom in a way that gives all students access to the skills they will need 

to compete in the 21st century.

Adds Clement: “We felt that if we were 

truly going to give kids a solid platform 

to work from and to be able to achieve—

in high school, in college, in the workplace—then we needed to give them the 

opportunity to work with technology 

and in a technological environment every day. This gives every student in our 

building access to technology 180 days 

a year.” 

The East Middle School technology plan is only one of the district’s 

many stimulus-funded projects—only 

$400,000 out of $5.4 million in academic 

programs alone. These projects span every grade level, from preschool to high 

school, and impact every school in the 

district. From the purchasing of educational software programs at the elementary level to extended learning time in 

summer school to staff development 

programs, it’s not an overstatement to 

say that stimulus money is already having a huge impact in Great Falls. 

For those who doubt that impact, 

Fagenstrom offers strong testimony. 

“This is year 37 for me as an educator,” 

she says, “and this is the first time in my 

career that I’ve seen this kind of infusion of money—the kind of money that 

would allow us to put nine technology 

labs in a building and all the other pieces 

of technology that go along to enhance 

that, and then the staff support. It’s incredible, and it has both the teachers and 

the students excited in a way I’ve never 

experienced before.” n

Beyond Academics: Montana’s Quick Start Energy Grants

Great Falls Public Schools has benefited from stimulus dollars in ways that go beyond pure 

academic-related programs. In the first round of funding, for example, the district received 

a $350,000 “quick start” energy efficiency grant. The Montana Quick Start Energy Grant Program—part of the state’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds—awarded almost $15 million to public schools throughout the state. The Quick Start Program was designed to assist schools with conducting energy audits and completing energy efficiency 

projects that will provide long-term, cost-effective benefits to schools. “We used that money for an energy efficiency project at C.M. Russell [High School],” says Bob Odermann, the 

Great Falls Public Schools district business manager and director of finance. “We ended up 

retrofitting the lighting in every classroom in the building. The lighting situation in the 

building—which was built in the early 1960s—was not only inefficient, it was also significantly affecting the learning environment. The stimulus money helped us address a longstanding problem in a way we would probably not have been able to do otherwise.”

The district has received an additional $1.3 million in a second round of energy efficiency 

grants, which it must spend by September 2010. “Our districtwide facilities planning group 

will be working with a local contractor to look at both energy and construction projects 

throughout the district,” says Odermann. “These are projects that will have an immediate 

impact on our local economy.”

short-term stimulus, long-term effe cts
28 educationnorthwest.org educationnorthwest.org

Students take a break at the 

edge of Vernonia’s athletic 

field, which borders the 

Nehalem River. In December 

2007 the river overflowed its 

banks, flooding the school 

district’s campus and much 

of the town beyond.
Vernonia’s 

Double Whammy

VERNONIA, Oregon—You 

only have to spend a lunch 

hour in Nate Underwood’s 

office to see how the Vernonia School District is scrambling to cope with the effects 

of both an economic recession and a flood of historic 

proportions. Underwood 

is pulling double duty this 

year as the principal of both 

the middle school and the 

high school, since the district 

had to let one administrator go. Cuts to clerical staff, 

meanwhile, mean Underwood is also answering the 

phones, handling student referrals, and directing visitors 

to their proper destination 

this afternoon, while simultaneously conducting an interview and stuffing envelopes 

with students’ test results. He 

glances up from the pile of 

waiting envelopes and says, 

“I’ll make it work, but make 

no bones about it, it’s an 

increased work load.”

Story by Rhonda Barton, photos by Sarah Giffrow

A small Oregon town and its school district struggle with the 

impact of the recession and the aftermath of a catastrophic flood.

Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 29
30 educationnorthwest.org

Hard Hit

More work, less pay is the norm for 

school staff in this rural logging community of 2,300 residents 45 miles northwest of Portland. The district was forced 

to cut one administrative and four 

teaching positions this year. All staff lost 

10 days’ salary, though the equivalent of 

only three student days were eliminated 

by lengthening some periods throughout the school year. Still, there are no 

complaints as signs of more severe hardship abound: The town’s unemployment 

rate hovers at 12 percent. More than 

one-third of the district’s students are 

eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. 

And, families are still reeling from the 

2007 flood that inundated 340 residences and caused an estimated loss of $100 

million. Byron Brown, a high school history teacher and track coach, observes, 

“The flood happened before the economic crash, so the town got hit hard 

twice economically. Many people lost 

their homes and then their jobs.” Brown 

adds philosophically, “I feel like one of 

the lucky ones in that I got flooded, but I

still have my job.”

One of the areas hardest hit by the 

flood was the campus serving all but 

a handful of the district’s students. 

The Nehalem River, which overflowed 

its banks, runs along the edge of the 

campus’ playing field. More than five feet 

of muddy water soaked the high school 

woodshop, while the main high school 

building and its sports complex flooded 

to the three-foot level. The 1930s-era elementary and the new middle school, 

which sit at a slightly higher elevation, 

fared better but still suffered ruined 

equipment and damaged classrooms.

In what one staff member calls a “tremendous case of leadership and partnership,” the district was able to get kids 

back in class just six days after the disaster. The neighboring town of Scappoose 

stepped up and rearranged its school 

day to accommodate all of Vernonia’s 

secondary students for six weeks while 

the town was cleaning up. “Their kids 

went to school from 7:30 to 12:30 and we 

took over from 12:30 to 4:30. We flipped 

athletic schedules and served lunch at 

11:45 before school started,” recounts 

Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) 

and Assistant Principal James Brookins. 

The youngest elementary students were 

scattered among local churches, city facilities, and the grange hall, with fourthand fifth-graders bused 34 miles round 

trip to the one-room schoolhouse in 

Mist, which is part of the district. 

A Ripple Effect

Two years later, students are back on 

campus, but the high school building 

remains closed. Only the renovated 

sports facilities is in use, while a cluster of modular buildings—rented at 

$14,000 a month—serve as classrooms. 

“It’s tough for kids because they have no 

sense of school—no lockers, no hallways 

or places to hang out,” says Underwood. 

In addition, one set of bathrooms serves 

400 students.

Some students have transferred out 

of the district because of displacement 

from the flood. Others have left for economic reasons. Two of the area’s logging 

mills closed recently and high-tech jobs 

in nearby cities have either fallen victim 

to the recession or are too expensive 

to commute to with current gas prices. 

Overall, district enrollment is down 100 

students from a preflood average of 710. 

Each student lost represents roughly 

$6,000 less in general funds. Bottom 

line: Vernonia took a 10 percent cut to 

an already strained budget this year. 

The effects of those cuts ripple 

throughout the district. Elementary 

Principal Aaron Miller had to trim the 

full-day kindergarten to half days and 

also lost the K–5 music teacher. No music means grade-level classes visit the 

Principal Nate Underwood juggles an increased work load as a result of budget cuts.

Student Body President Souvanny Miller 

didn’t think she’d be graduating from 

modular buildings.
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 31

library twice a week instead of once, 

which slashes the time Media Specialist 

Glenda Delemos can spend on troubleshooting the district’s computer system. 

“With the budget cuts, everyone wears 

multiple hats,” says Delemos, who has 

been with the district for more than 

three decades. “I’m not available for tech 

support like I was, but you can’t say to 

a teacher ‘I’ll get to you later,’ if they’re 

having computer problems and can’t 

take attendance.” 

Still, Delemos describes the flood as 

a “half-full, half-empty” situation. Although she had to inventory a “mountain of ruined stuff,” with old lunches 

and other debris mixed in with dead 

servers, the district wound up with all 

new technology equipment, including the latest in student laptops. What 

wasn’t covered by insurance was funded 

with private contributions. Delemos gets 

a little teary-eyed recalling that she also 

processed 6,000 books “donated from all 

over” for the library. 

For Randy Shockey, the budget cuts 

have translated into fewer students and 

therefore, fewer sections of advanced 

math. Shockey teaches Algebra I and II, 

trigonometry, and precalculus. Add to 

that list a host of other roles: high school 

football coach, assistant softball coach, 

middle school assistant athletic director, and freshman class advisor. Would 

he trade all that for a less-demanding 

job elsewhere? “Class sizes this year are 

20–24 kids,” he says. “I’d never want 

to work where I’d have 30–40 kids in a 

classroom.”

Even Byron Brown, whose house 

flooded, sees a brighter side to the tragedy. “I feel like I learned a lot from the 

flood about what it means to be a member of a community,” he says. “I was a 

logger for 20 years before I became a 

teacher [and] I always figured I could 

take care of myself. But when I needed 

help, my students and members of the 

community just showed up and helped 

me out. They did back-breaking work 

for hours and wouldn’t let me pay them 

or anything.”

Stronger, But Different

That renewed sense of community is 

voiced not only by the adults, but by students as well. In James Brookins’s advisory class, student government leaders 

and class officers meet each day to plan 

school spirit and service events. Instead 

of getting demoralized, sophomore Holly Cavett thinks more of her peers have 

started volunteering in the community 

and have found a new level of self-motivation. “It seems like kids’ grades have 

gone up because the flood encouraged 

us to try harder,” says Cavett, the student 

body public relations officer. “We can 

show that one small thing can’t displace 

our dreams.” On the other hand, Cavett 

says she’ll have to work harder to meet 

the school’s graduation requirement 

of two years of Spanish—the language 

teacher only comes every other day now, 

and there are fewer opportunities to 

enroll in a language class.

Souvanny Miller, the student body 

president and likely valedictorian, regrets that Advanced Spanish has been 

eliminated from Vernonia High’s offerings. She also says that when you’re 

walking to the modular buildings in 

the pouring rain, “sometimes it doesn’t 

feel like a real school. Mods aren’t what 

I thought I’d be graduating from, but 

that’s OK.”

Student body vice president Dylan 

Vaughn agrees with that sentiment. 

“Some kids resent the fact that the high 

school we all saw growing up isn’t where 

we are now,” he says. “A lot of things are 

being cut, but we get by with what we 

have.”

Vaughn’s experience with the flood 

was particularly harrowing. He recounts how he and his family had to dig 

trenches to redirect the water away from 

their house, which sits a mere 100 feet 

from the Nehalem River. “I feel a lot has 

changed since the flood,” he says. “Everything I believed is different—not in 

a good way or a bad way, just different.”

Brookins, who experienced not only 

the 2007 flood but an equally devastating one in 1996, describes the stress associated with the event as “long lived 

and intense.” He says everyone in town 

is still impacted by it everyday and by 

the “double whammy” of an economic 

recession so soon after a natural disaster. 

No Recovery Dollars in Sight

When the government unveiled the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment 

Act (ARRA), it seemed like a lifeline for 

Vernonia’s double whammy

James Brookins, a TOSA and assistant principal, “high-fives” Holly Cavett during an 

advisory for student government leaders and class officers.
32 educationnorthwest.org

Vernonia. In fact, the ARRA Web site (at 

www.ed.gov) features a video of the district, asserting that “Vernonia, Oregon, 

is a perfect example of a community 

whose education system and economy 

can be revitalized by this measure.”

On the video Superintendent Ken 

Cox declares, “ARRA would certainly 

give us a light at the end of the tunnel 

that we haven’t been able to see before us 

as we’ve struggled through figuring out 

how to rebuild our schools.” According 

to Cox, the district hoped to receive at 

least $5 million in ARRA funds through 

the state for a new school complex on a 

site outside the flood plain. 

But those hopes were dashed, due to 

spending restrictions and the way the 

funds are being distributed. “Unfortunately most of the funding is coming 

through various federal departments,” 

Cox notes. “In one case we applied for 

$750,000 for advanced lighting in the 

new schools through the Energy Department, but it was turned down because [ARRA] did not apply to new construction.” Cox admits that the district 

is severely limited in what it can apply 

for, and the best hope for replacing the 

elementary, middle, and high schools 

is through a bond measure approved in 

November and other fund-raising.

Architects estimate the cost of the 

new facilities at $37 million, almost 

three times what the $13 million bond 

will cover. But, Cox remains confident that the remainder will be raised 

through government funds, foundation 

grants, and other gifts during the next 

couple of years. “There is a time clock 

on our existing situation,” says Cox. The 

modular buildings are sited on a temporary permit that expires in December 

2011 and the district needs to move its 

schools to higher ground where insurance costs—and the threat level—will be 

greatly reduced.

While looking forward to a new campus, Vernonia’s administrators, teachers, 

and staff stay focused on the business at 

hand: using what they have to give students what they need. There’s pride in 

the fact that the district made adequate 

yearly progress last year, despite ruined 

classrooms, displaced students, and 

budget cuts wrought by the economic 

downturn. “Is it realistic to say we have 

the same resources and facilities as other 

schools?” asks Principal Underwood 

rhetorically. “No, it isn’t,” he answers, 

looking up from his filing. “But what 

goes on between teacher and student in 

the classroom isn’t different. Nobody is 

getting shortchanged.” n

Media Specialist Glenda Delemos (at 

left) processed 6,000 donated books 

after the library flooded. Elementary 

Principal Aaron Miller (below) saw 

more than 20 percent of his students 

transfer out of district after the flood. 

Student Body Vice President Dylan 

Vaughn (bottom left) was one of many 

students whose houses were damaged 

by flood waters.
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 33

In addition to these formula-based awards, the stimulus 

package also includes several competitive grant programs. The 

Race to the Top Fund includes $4.35 billion that will be awarded 

to states that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform, specifically in the four education reform areas 

(or “assurances”) described in ARRA . One requirement is that 

the states must not have any laws in place barring the use of student achievement data for evaluating teachers and principals. 

Another competitive grant program, Investing in Innovation, will encourage efforts to scale up evidence-based educational practices and support the development and evaluation 

of promising innovative practices. The funding for the program comes from the federal education budget ($100 million) 

and ARRA ($650 million). Another available pool of money 

is the Title I School Improvement Grants for states and districts, which is intended to leverage change and turn around 

low-performing schools. The $3.5 billion for this program also 

combines federal education dollars and ARRA funds. 

How ARRA Funds Are Used

When ARRA was passed in February 2009, the Department of 

Education touted the stimulus funds for education as an opportunity to create jobs and advance reform. Various developments since that time have provided indications that although 

ARRA will mitigate the effects of the economic decline, the education funds may not stimulate the economy by creating new 

jobs or by funding innovative educational reforms. 

One reason to be skeptical is that the economic downturn 

and the impact on state budgets has been worse than was anticipated when the ARRA was passed. The funds were not sufficient to fill budget gaps, so states and districts were still forced 

to make cuts in education spending. In early September, the 

Department of Education released the second round of ARRA

funds, almost a month early. The accelerated schedule was 

intended to help stabilize states’ and districts’ budgets.

The Government Accountability Office has been tracking 

the use of stimulus funds in 16 states. A report issued in July 

2009 confirmed that the initial round of SFSF funds was primarily used to “backfill” budget holes rather than to advance 

reforms, test innovations, or stimulate the economy. 

Results from a survey conducted by the American Association 

of School Administrators (AASA ) provided further evidence 

that stimulus funds were not being invested in innovation or reform, but rather to fill budget gaps resulting from the declines in 

state revenues. According to the survey, the money tied to specific purposes (such as Title I and IDEA ) had too many strings 

attached to make it possible to implement innovative ideas or 

take steps that would stimulate the economy. The administrators 

who responded to the survey also indicated that they were worried about creating new jobs and programs that would need to be 

funded by the district after the two-year period. 

In spite of these concerns, evidence suggests that the stimulus funds have been essential to mitigating the impact of the 

economic crisis on the public education system. In August, for 

example, the Department of Labor announced that the stimulus funds distributed by the Department of Education saved 

more than 135,000 education positions across the nation. And 

there is still hope that ARRA funds will promote significant 

education reform. Race to the Top and the other competitive 

grants remain an unprecedented opportunity to fund innovation in education. n

Strategizing Over ARRA

A standing-room-only crowd packed the Hilton Seattle Airport in 

late September for the latest word on the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act (ARRA ). The occasion was the fall workshop organized by the Washington Association of School Administrators 

(WASA ), Washington Association of School Business Officials (WAS -

BO), and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OS PI). 

The topic generated “a landslide of excitement,” according to Mack 

Armstrong, WASA ’s assistant executive director.

Mixed in with that enthusiasm was a fair amount of confusion 

and a bit of anxiety, especially around reporting requirements. Toni 

Lally, who’s responsible for financial reports and budgets for the 

Auburn School District, was one of those hoping to get answers. 

Her district received $6.3 million in ARRA funds for the fiscal year 

ending August 31. “I need to know how to do the reporting because we’re already being audited,” she said. “They’re changing the 

rules every five minutes.”

Another common concern was how best to invest the stimulus 

dollars. As one participant put it, “After a year of looking toward cuts, 

we now have an abundance of riches, but the dilemma comes in how 

to leverage these funds to make a difference for our students.”

Washington state officials estimate the state will ultimately receive more than $1.2 billion in aid, including almost $820 million in 

fiscal stabilization funds, almost $230 million for special education 

(including preschool), and $135 million in Title I. They hope to add 

to that amount by urging local education agencies to go after Investing in Innovation (i3) grants designed to identify educational 

practices with proven success in improving student achievement 

and to support the development, implementation, and evaluation 

of those promising innovations. Perhaps a longer shot is winning a 

piece of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top (RTTT ) fund, a highly competitive award to support states’ comprehensive reform efforts. According to Judy Hartman, an education advisor to Governor Chris 

Gregoire, the state’s RTTT bid “isn’t dead on arrival” despite the fact 

that Washington doesn’t fit all the selection criteria—especially a 

track record of promoting charter schools. While Washington has 

rejected efforts to establish charter schools three different times, 

Hartman said there’s still an impressive array of alternative learning 

opportunities that the state can emphasize in its application.

Bob Harmon, the state’s assistant superintendent for special programs and federal accountability, summed up the workshop’s leitmotif: “While ARRA is not without its challenges, we have an unprecedented opportunity and Washington kids are counting on us. 

We must be successful—we have no other choice.”

over view

Continued from page 9
34 educationnorthwest.org

Seizing the Opportunity: A Conversation Between Diana Oxley and Karen Hawley Miles

Voices

Diana Oxley is a program director at Education Northwest (formerly 

the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory) where she coordinates development of technical assistance and leads a team that 

provides professional development for schools’ and districts’ high 

school redesign initiatives.

Oxley has 20 years’ experience carrying 

out research and collaboration with school 

staffs on reorganizing middle and high 

schools and strengthening their instructional programs. She has worked with schools in 

New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Miami, 

as well as schools in suburban and rural areas in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, 

she has published Small Learning Communities: Implementing and Deepening Practice

(educationnorthwest.org) and “What Makes Small Learning Communities Work,” both of which identify effective SLC practices and 

summarize the research on small learning communities and small 

schools. 

Karen Hawley Miles is the president and 

executive director of Education Resource 

Strategies, a nonprofit organization based 

in Boston, Massachusetts. Miles specializes in long-range strategic planning in 

urban public school districts. She teaches 

seminars at Harvard University’s Graduate 

School of Education, New Leaders for New 

Schools, and the Broad Institute. She is the 

coauthor of The Strategic School: Making 

the Most of People, Time, and Money. 

Miles’s work aims to help states, districts, and schools rethink 

resource use in a way that creates great schools and redirects resources to promote excellent teaching, individual attention for children, and productive instructional time. She has worked intensively 

with urban districts such as Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Boston, Baltimore, Providence, Rochester, and 

Cincinnati to deeply analyze and improve their funding systems, 

school-level resource use, and human capital systems.

Diana Oxley: You have said that the confluence of tight budgets and short-term stimulus money creates an opportunity for 

reforms that will pay off for students long after the two-year federal stimulus program has ended. Why do you see that confluence 

as an opportunity, and how might this lead to reforms that are 

different from those in the past? 

Karen Hawley Miles: Tough times make it possible to take 

on tough issues—issues that districts often don’t want to take 

on, or have trouble, politically, taking on. Whether it’s closing 

schools because the infrastructure is too large for the size of 

the current student population, or taking a tougher stand on 

teacher negotiations so that principals have more control over 

hiring and firing, or creating more flexibility about the workday and the kinds of people that can work in schools, or looking at teacher compensation structures—those are the sorts of 

things I’m hoping district leaders and those who are supporting reform can start to tackle because of this particular set of 

circumstances. 

On one hand, the federal stimulus funding can be viewed 

as helping districts stand pat, or at least not suffer too much 

from the economic downturn. But another part of the stimulus 

requires that some funds be used to support reforms. If done 

well, those reforms could help districts move toward new ways 

of working and organizing. That could ultimately change their 

cost structure and result in hiring more effective teachers that 

can work together in the ways we see the highest performing 

schools doing. 

In your experience, are administrators prepared to revisit their 

assumptions about resource use? Are they ready to seize this 

opportunity? 

I would say that is absolutely a nationwide problem. People 

don’t question the basic staffing structures and staffing allocation formulas and the basic assumption that it’s all about class 

size and that the salary structure is going to stay the same forever. And part of that is driven by the way resource decisions 

and strategic planning happen in schools. There is a division 

between the financial side and the academic side, and neither 

one has full access to or a full understanding of the information 

of the other. 

Take the issue of teacher compensation, for example. There 

is a lot of talk about restructuring compensation—the most 

popular idea is giving bonuses to teachers who are successful 

at improving student performance. Those discussions, by and 

large, are not taking place in the context of the entire teacher 

compensation package. In most districts they’re simply adding 

the dollars for these bonuses on top of the existing structure, as 
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 35

opposed to rethinking the entire structure. In most states, for 

example, a teacher’s salary doubles over the span of his or her 

career. If you start at $36,000, you end up at $72,000. Typically 

that’s based on teacher course taking and years of experience. 

Districts vary as to how much they reward those two things, 

but pretty much every state follows that kind of structure. So, 

instead of thinking about how we could restructure that doubling of teachers’ salaries in a way that differentiates for the 

unique roles and contributions of each teacher, they’re just adding it right on top. And they’re not adding very much on top. So 

the result is that the teachers who are most effective might get 

5 or 10 percent more, but it’s added on top of all sorts of other 

increases that have nothing to do—at least nothing researchbased—with improving student performance. That doesn’t get 

at the basic structure of compensation. 

That’s the same phenomenon we find in school reform generally. 

Extra dollars are often used to bring in new reforms but without 

necessarily revisiting or transforming the whole program. They’re 

trying to improve with add-ons or by increments, but they leave 

the basic structures in place. 

Let me give you a really powerful example of that. With the 

school improvement grants that are coming down the pike, 

we know that [the Department of Education] wants to target 

improvement for the lowest performing schools, most of which will 

be concentrated in urban districts. 

And states will be doling out up to 

$500,000 per school for turnaround 

support. But what we see when we 

go into districts is that, first of all, 

if you look at the lowest performing schools, they’re starting with 

widely varying levels of resources, 

even within a district. Take all the lowest performing schools 

and look at per pupil spending and you can see that sometimes 

one school gets twice the money per pupil as another. So before 

you add on, there is already inequity. And then you have to look 

at the money that’s already at the school. If you add $250,000 

onto a $5 to $6 million budget, that’s a 5 percent increase in 

budget. But there’s no effort to touch what’s happening with the 

remaining 95 percent of the budget. When we go deep into that 

we so often see, in these schools in need of a turnaround, that 

the staff is not matched to the needs of the school, either because of the skills they bring, or the roles they are playing in the 

school, or the way classrooms and students are organized. So 

what we argue is: Before you go in and add $250,000 on top, the 

most important step is to look deeply at who’s in that building, 

what they’re doing, how students and teachers are organized, 

and how their time is being used. 

There is a book by Allan Odden called Doubling Student Performance ... and Finding the Resources To Do It. His examples 

are mostly elementary schools that have doubled student performance and changed the resource allocation method to match. 

One of the repeated findings is that those elementary schools reduced class size dramatically—to 15, for example. There are other 

important factors, such as professional development or a focus on 

core content areas, but class size reductions figure prominently. 

Do you question that? Does that seem like a wise place to put 

resources?

Well, I think context is very important. I’ll give you an example. In a district we are working with the school board decided it would be a great policy to reduce K–3 classes to 16 in 

all the highest poverty schools. That decision cost millions of 

dollars to implement. But they didn’t change anything else in 

the school, such as the support that teachers receive or the time 

they have to collaborate. And so the result in these schools, 

which were already underperforming and had high staff turnover, was an influx of brand new teachers. Previously they had 

a 30 to 40 percent turnover, but now 50 percent of their teachers were new. And yet they had the 

same level of coaching resources 

to support them and no effective 

teacher leaders to make sure the 

new folks were doing a good job. 

Sure, you would always love to 

have five great teachers working 

with kids in class sizes of 15 or 16, 

but what we try to talk about is being strategic. Class size reductions 

should be done in the context of teacher capacity and your 

overall level of resources. That’s not a simple solution, and that’s 

what makes it hard to implement. 

I want to stay with the class size question. I’ll use an example of 

a high school this time that wanted to reduce class size in ninthgrade core subjects. Teachers were aligning their instruction with 

standards so what they wanted to do was reduce class size to 24 

students or so to make their job more manageable. But I know of 

other schools that instead of reducing class size, what they’re trying to do is have teachers teach only four classes of 30 students for 

“Tough times make it possible to take on 

tough issues—issues that districts often 

don’t want to take on, or have trouble, 

politically, taking on.”

—Karen Hawley Miles
36 educationnorthwest.org

five periods but now, and you haven’t touched class size, what you 

have done is you have spread five periods of instruction across 

four classes so you’ve got more instructional time in addition to a 

reduced student load. But you hardly ever see that done, and I’m 

just wondering if you would care to compare those two strategies. 

They involve the same resource level, I believe, but they do something different in terms of instruction.

Right, so to me [the latter] is an obviously better solution. 

We’ve looked at high-performing schools across the country 

and find that they get this idea of teacher load and they consistently shift resources and time around so that they’re focusing 

more time on core subjects and creating lower loads in them. 

The frustrating thing is that this is hardly ever done; and in 

part because it’s hardly ever done, there isn’t any good research 

on it because there aren’t enough examples that develop robust 

studies.

Let’s talk about resource use in relation to small schools and small 

learning communities. Marguerite Roza studied three school districts and found that in “small” schools the administrators tended 

to shift resources to core subject areas. In other words, if the size 

of the school doesn’t allow you to fill up “x” number of classes with 

the necessary number of students then you end up shifting to core 

subject area classes. Roza’s study found that across a district with 

six small schools, more of the teaching resources were dedicated to 

math, science, English, and social studies. Have you found that? 

We absolutely have. We did a report called “Strategic Designs” that looked at nine high-performing urban schools, and 

we found, universally, that they devote more time to the teaching of core subjects and that the lower the funding level in a 

district, the more extreme that is. The tighter the budget, the 

more the small schools get to a point where all of their teachers 

teach core subjects. The electives are extremely limited. They 

find other ways to provide them: for example, by using outside community resources and universities and those kinds of 

things. So, I think that’s a huge finding, and it’s a direction we 

need to go if we’re going to get the salaries of core teachers to 

the levels we want them to be in order to keep excellent folks in 

teaching. We’re going to have to shift what we pay for, and what 

we need to pay for is core academics. We need to find ways to 

do electives with a different kind of cost structure.

So you’d really like to see a focus on teacher quality, which seems 

to be a dominant idea in the current thinking about public 

education? 

I would. And I think the general public would also. Every 

survey you see says that what parents want most is a great 

teacher for their kids. What’s interesting is that teachers in urban districts also want high-quality peers. So, this is something 

that no one debates. I think it’s just surprising how often reforms and resource decisions get made outside the context of 

teaching quality. 

Is there a danger in focusing on teacher quality without worrying 

too much about the strategies those teachers are using?

I think it’s important to talk about “teaching quality” and not 

“teacher quality,” because for me teacher quality implies great 

individual teachers. What we know about great schools is that 

they have a collective effort by teachers who work together in 

teams to create a wonderful education for kids. And if you’re 

focusing on teaching teams, then it’s about providing the kind 

of supports that make them work. That includes great leaders, 

great curricula, great data, and effectively structured time within the school day for the teaching teams to meet.

That’s a really important distinction between teacher quality, 

which is more narrowly focused, and teaching quality, which 

brings into it the conditions that are created and the strategies 

that are used, in addition to an individual teacher’s effectiveness.

Exactly. The research about student achievement is never 

about a student having a single year with a single good teacher. 

It’s about having great teachers for several years in a row. Those 

students who get consistently high-quality instruction clearly 

outperform students who have ineffective teachers for several 

years in a row. It’s a hugely important factor. You have to create a whole school of great teachers. And in order to do that 

we’re going to have to make some major changes to the way we 

currently do things. n

voices
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 37

Linking Resources and Results By Jennifer Stepanek

Research Brief

Issues of school finance have historically been the subject of 

avid debate, with one side arguing that schools do not receive 

enough resources and the other maintaining that too much 

money is going into the public school system. When budgets 

are tight, the pressure to ensure that educational resources are 

being spent on effective programs and strategies intensifies. All 

stakeholders want to ensure that funding is invested in efforts 

that will positively impact students. Yet, determining what resources schools have and how those resources affect teaching 

and learning is not a straightforward process. 

One way of measuring—looking at the correlation between 

per-pupil expenditures and student achievement—remains inconclusive. In a comparison of student achievement data from 

the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and 

state education spending, 16 

of the 20 states with belowaverage scores also had lower than average per-pupil 

expenditures (Hill, Roza, 

& Harvey, 2008). However, 

these findings do not prove 

that spending more will result in better student performance; they merely show 

a relationship between the 

two variables. 

For example, per-pupil 

expenditures rose an average of 5.8 percent each year 

between 1995 and 2005 

(Snyder, Dillow, & Hoffman, 

2008), yet there has not been a proportionate rise in average 

student achievement during this period. This statistic also raises more questions than it answers: Are the rising expenditures 

due to the rising cost of things such as textbooks, transportation, or health care? Does the rise in expenditures reflect more 

dollars being spent on instruction? Are schools providing more 

services to students? Is the money being invested in programs 

that are not producing results?

Perhaps surprisingly, the answer to all of these questions is 

that we simply don’t know. Attempting to gather evidence about 

the cost-effectiveness of educational programs and strategies is 

currently very difficult. School budgets are structured in such 

a way that calculating real per-pupil costs involves a variety of 

factors that are not tracked together or easily linked: class size, 

hours of instruction, salaries and benefits, materials, and facilities and administrative costs (Odden, 2007). This makes studies 

of school spending practices time-consuming and expensive.

Studies such as the School Finance Redesign Project (SFRP) 

have attempted to fill in some of the gaps. Researchers from 

a variety of disciplines are investigating how resources are allocated in districts and schools in an attempt to create systems 

for tracking school spending more consistently and to identify 

promising practices.

One study from the SFR P showed that decisions related to 

goals and strategies are often isolated from decisions about resource allocation (Roza, 2008). This leads to spending patterns 

that undermine school districts’ reform efforts and stated priorities. Rather than identifying a common group of recommended 

strategies for resource allocation, this study found that in successful efforts the type of reform a given district pursued had 

a direct influence on how 

spending decisions were 

made. For example, in districts that were targeting 

additional resources on 

disadvantaged students, a 

successful strategy was to 

allocate resources using a 

formula based on student 

types. On the other hand, 

in a district that was pursuing a decentralized approach, with school-based 

decision-making and accountability, giving the individual schools flexibility 

in resource allocation was 

more consistent with the overall reform strategy. 

Researchers at the Center for Policy Research in Education 

(CPRE) focused on how the funds spent on instruction are allocated in order to identify patterns in spending that are more 

likely to lead to increased student learning. They grouped district spending into three broad categories: instructional services, additional instruction and student support, and operations 

and maintenance (Odden et al., 2007). In studying the schools 

that had reallocated resources and become more productive, 

the researchers found that the reallocation was focused primarily on the support category. The changes that the schools made 

included:

• Increasing time spent on core academics

• Lowering class sizes for core academic subjects Photo by Federal 

Way School District
38 educationnorthwest.org

• Investing in professional development

• Providing more intensive help for struggling students

In addition, the findings demonstrate that the districts that 

effectively reallocated resources were close to the average perpupil expenditures (Odden, Goetz, & Picus, 2007). Therefore, 

the districts were able to achieve better outcomes by spending money more strategically, not because they had increased 

resources.

In the final report for the SFR P, the authors do not come 

down on one side or the other in the debate about how much 

money needs to be spent on education. Instead, they highlight 

the need for funding systems that are transparent about how 

money is actually spent and how spending is linked to student 

outcomes. They make the case for giving schools money in 

ways that “allow for experimentation and continuous learning 

about what is possible given many alternative uses of funds and 

what works in different situations” (Hill, Roza, & Harvey, 2008, 

p. 50). n

References

Hill, P.T., Roza, M., & Harvey, J. (2008). Facing the future: 

Financing productive schools [Final rep.]. Seattle, WA: University of Washington, Center on Reinventing Public Education, School Finance Redesign Project.

Odden, A. (2007). Redesigning school finance systems: Lessons 

from CPRE research (CPRE Policy Brief No. RB-50). Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania, Consortium for 

Policy Research in Education.

Odden, A.R., Goetz, M.E., & Picus, L.O. (2007). Paying for 

school finance adequacy with the national average expenditure per pupil (SFRP Working Paper No. 2). Seattle, WA: 

University of Washington, Center on Reinventing Public 

Education, School Finance Redesign Project.

Odden, A., Picus, L.O., Archibald, S., Goetz, M., Mangan, M.T., 

& Aportela, A. (2007). Moving from good to great in Wisconsin: Funding schools adequately and doubling student performance. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin–Madison, 

Wisconsin Center for Education Research, Consortium for 

Policy Research in Education.

Roza, M. (2008). Allocation anatomy: How district policies that 

deploy resources can support (or undermine) district reform 

strategies. Seattle, WA: University of Washington, Center 

on Reinventing Public Education, School Finance Redesign 

Project.

Snyder, T.D., Dillow, S.A., & Hoffman, C.M. (2008). Digest of 

education statistics 2007. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 14, 2009, from http://nces.ed.gov/ 

pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008022

research brief
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 39

End note

From flooded classrooms to houses awash in muddy water, paintings by grade school students 

capture the aftermath of a 2007 natural disaster that’s left Vernonia, Oregon, hard-pressed 

(see story, p. 28). Photo by Sarah Giffrow
40 educationnorthwest.org

Introducing Education Northwest

As noted in the opening pages of this issue, the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory has a new name: Education Northwest. 

After more than four decades as “the Lab,” we’ve made this 

change to emphasize our focus on education and to make our 

name easier to use. Although we’ve lost eight syllables, you can 

expect the same commitment to high-quality, evidence-based 

products and services.

“Education is at the heart of all the work that we do, and 

the values and experiences of this region influence how we approach our work, so adopting Education Northwest as our new 

name just seemed natural to us,” comments Deputy Executive 

Officer Steve Fleischman.

At Education Northwest, we are dedicated to and passionate 

about learning. Through our work, we strive to create vibrant 

learning environments where all youth and adults can succeed. 

We work with teachers, administrators, policymakers, and 

communities to identify needs, evaluate programs, and develop 

new solutions. 

The breadth of our work—ranging from training teachers, to 

developing curriculum, to restructuring schools, to evaluating 

programs—allows us to take a comprehensive look at education and to bring wide-ranging expertise and creativity to our 

clients’ challenges. This breadth is reflected in our new tagline: 

Creating Strong Schools and Communities. 

This is the first time that we’ve made a name change since the 

organization was awarded its initial regional educational laboratory contract in 1966. We are proud of our 43-year track record, but we don’t rest on our laurels. As Education Northwest 

we will continue to serve our clients in the region and beyond 

by identifying and addressing emerging needs and trends in 

teaching and learning. n

Reaching Out to Regional Constituents

Education Northwest is ramping up its outreach to the region with 

a three-tiered approach. Five state outreach coordinators have 

been tapped to foster ongoing relationships with the various 

state education agencies and key state associations. The new 

coordinators will share information and collaborate with the 

Comprehensive Center state coordinators and with executive cabinet members who serve as liaisons to board member 

delegations from the five Northwest states. 

Chief Executive Officer Carol Thomas says that Education 

Northwest’s new name and rebranding (see article above) provide a perfect opportunity to broaden the organization’s outreach efforts. “It is critical that we speak with one voice and 

present a coordinated picture of our work,” she says. “With this 

concerted outreach, we will be more visible and more responsive to client needs.”

The three teams—state outreach coordinators, Comprehensive Center state coordinators, and board liaisons—will 

work together to develop and maintain client relationships 

and to share information internally and externally. Each team 

approaches outreach with a slightly different focus:

• Comprehensive Center coordinators provide technical assistance, information, and resources to state education (SEA) 

leadership teams. Their primary emphasis is on increasing 

each state’s capacity to meet the requirements of No Child 

Left Behind (NCLB) and working with districts and schools 

to achieve NCLB goals. 

• The state outreach coordinators are charged with identifying 

issues and opportunities to work with regional constituents, 

particularly aligning SEA needs with Education Northwest’s 

regional educational laboratory capabilities.

• Board liaisons participate in state delegation meetings at 

the quarterly board meetings and maintain ongoing contact 

with board members from their states. All three teams communicate with constituents about Education Northwest’s 

plans, projects, products, and services. 

The staff members assigned to each state are listed below:

• Alaska—Outreach Coordinator Richard Smiley; Comprehensive Center Coordinator Deborah Davis (with SERR C); 

Board Liaison Jim Kushman 

• Idaho—Outreach Coordinator Changhua Wang; Comprehensive Center Coordinator Claire Gates; Board Liaison 

Steve Fleischman

• Montana—Outreach Coordinator Seymour Hanfling; Comprehensive Center Coordinator Robey Clark; Board Liaison 

Steve Nelson

• Oregon—Outreach Coordinator Nanci Schneider; Comprehensive Center Coordinator Lynette Thompson; Board 

Liaison Eve McDermott

• Washington—Outreach Coordinator Deborah Davis; Comprehensive Center Coordinator Cathryn Gardner; Board 

Liaison Bob Rayborn n

education northw est news
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 41

REL Studies and Events Share Research With Practitioners

From dropout prevention strategies to 

turning around low-performing schools to 

Native students’ achievement, REL Northwest is addressing critical issues through 

“fast response” research studies and forums that bridge research and practice.

REL Northwest, the regional educational laboratory arm of Education 

Northwest, is hosting a series of “bridge 

events” that provide an opportunity for 

regional educators and policymakers to 

connect with noted national researchers. 

At a recent session in Portland, participants heard from Dr. Russell Rumberger, author of an Institute of Education 

Sciences’ (IES) practice guide on dropout prevention. More than half a million young people in the United States 

drop out of high school each year—a 

rate that’s remained relatively constant 

during the last 30 years.

Rumberger described six evidencebased recommendations to tackle this 

pressing problem. The strategies range 

from assigning adult advocates to students at risk of dropping out to using 

data to identify those students who most 

need targeted interventions. Panelists 

from local dropout prevention programs 

discussed how they are putting those recommendations to work, especially with 

Native American and Hispanic students. 

Other bridge events offered recommendations on turning around chronically low-performing schools and evaluating the impact of student mentoring.

“Fast Response” Research Studies

In addition to bridge events, studies by 

REL Northwest examine topics of interest 

to the five Northwest states. Recent publications, which can be accessed at educationnorthwest.org, include the following: 

• Models of Response to Intervention 

in the Northwest Region States

This report provides information on 

the response to intervention (RTI ) 

models supported by state education 

agencies in the Northwest. RTI is a 

tiered approach to improving education outcomes by monitoring academic progress, using assessment data to 

identify struggling students, and modifying instruction so that it’s matched 

to individual student needs. The study 

found that all five Northwest states 

promote RTI as a means of improving general education for all students. 

However, the states differ in their emphasis on using RTI for making decisions about students’ eligibility for special education. The study also found 

that the states are at different stages in 

developing initiatives to support the 

implementation of RTI practices. 

• Analysis of the Developmental 

Functioning of Early Intervention 

and Early Childhood Special Education Populations in Oregon

This study of young children who 

receive early interventions or special 

education services in Oregon reports 

that the most common problem areas 

for these youngsters are phonological 

awareness, numbers and operations, 

and the use of knowledge and skills. 

The researchers found that of the 16 

key areas that children need to succeed in school, these three areas had 

the highest percentages of children 

assessed as functioning below age 

level, regardless of the child’s primary 

disability, gender, or ethnicity.

• Achievement Gap Patterns of Grade 

8 American Indian and Alaska 

Native Students in Reading and 

Mathematics

This study of achievement gap patterns of American Indian (AI) and 

Alaska Native (AN) students in 26 

states questions common stereotypes 

about lagging performance among 

Native students. The researchers 

analyzed state achievement test 

scores in reading and math for AI/

AN grade 8 students and their nonNative peers between 2003–2004 and 

2006–2007. The results indicated that 

in many states serving large populations of Native students, both AI and 

AN students experienced achievement gains along with their nonNative counterparts, across the study 

period. Although achievement gaps 

were generally found to persist, AI/

AN students were narrowing those 

gaps. In some states, AI/AN students 

actually increased their lead over 

their non-Native peers. n

Information on upcoming bridge 

events and archives of past forums 

can be found at educationnorthwest.org. The site also has links to 

REL Northwest research studies.

Dr. Russell Rumberger shared research on 

dropout prevention at a Portland event.
42 educationnorthwest.org

New Director Joins Education Northwest

Rob Larson is the new director of the Center for Classroom Teaching and Learning at Education Northwest. Larson previously 

served as the director of the Oregon Leadership Network and 

as the federal liaison for the Oregon Department of Education’s 

State Superintendent of Public Instruction where he worked 

with congressional staff, federal agencies, and national policy 

leaders as an advocate for Oregon education.

Larson will lead one of four Centers of Excellence carrying 

out Education Northwest’s work of applied research, evaluation, development, training, technical assistance, and information dissemination. The focus of the center’s work is to enable 

educators to implement curriculum, instruction, and assessments that foster learning and achievement for all students. 

Some of the center’s activities include professional development for teachers in effective mathematics practices; support 

for schools’ implementation of collaborative programs such 

as lesson study; and school and district training to ensure all 

students are treated equitably in a safe environment.

Larson has an extensive history with Education Northwest, 

serving both as director of the Science and Mathematics Education Program from 1992 to 1995, and more recently on the 

board of directors as the representative 

for Oregon State Superintendent Susan 

Castillo. “I’ve had an ongoing relationship with Education Northwest since 

1991,” says Larson. “I’ve always appreciated and respected the work done 

here and I’m happy to be back on staff. 

Through my experience with state and 

federal policy systems, I will be able to 

contribute to enhancing the reputation 

of Education Northwest and positioning it within state and national policy and practice arenas.”

Larson has an Ed.D. from Lewis & Clark College and has 

served as a teacher, assistant principal, and instructional 

coordinator. 

His priority as director of the Center for Classroom Teaching 

and Learning is the advancement of high-quality instruction 

and equitable practice for all students. “Instructional leadership for equity,” Larson says, “is ensuring that the system provides access and opportunity for each and every student. It requires strong leadership dedicated to improving instruction.” n

Conference Call

Visit Education Northwest’s online calendar of events at educationnorthwest.org 

for complete details on upcoming workshops and conferences.

6+1 Trait® Writing Assessment for 

Trainers In stitute 

December 9–11, 2009

Chicago, IL

This advanced institute is designed for 

literacy coaches, teacher leaders, administrators, and curriculum coordinators 

and will equip them to conduct their 

own in-district workshops. Participation 

in an introductory trait institute and 

classroom experience teaching the traits 

are prerequisites. The institute features 

three days of training:

• Day 1 activities include a review of 

the 6+1 Trait Writing Model and 

related instructional strategies. 

• Day 2 looks at writing in the teaching-learning cycle, and how the cycle 

relates to balanced literacy. Student 

goal setting, family support, and lesson planning will be explored. 

• Day 3 focuses on designing trait 

workshops of varying duration and 

purpose. It will include time to begin 

planning your own presentation. 

An adult-learning strand will be 

modeled, discussed, and showcased 

throughout the three-day institute.

For more information, contact Mark.

Workman@educationnorthwest.org.

Improving Adolescent Literacy: 

Effective Vocabulary and

Comprehension Practices

February 17, 2010

Portland, OR

This one-day REL Northwest event 

will focus on the recommendations 

contained in Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices, a practice guide published 

by the Institute of Education Sciences. 

Michael Kamil and Janice Dole, two authors of the guide, will offer evidencebased strategies for explicit vocabulary 

instruction, direct and explicit comprehension instruction, text meaning and 

interpretation, student motivation and 

engagement in literacy learning, and 

individualized interventions for struggling readers. Participants will receive 

hands-on practice in strengthening the 

delivery of vocabulary and comprehension instruction to adolescents. This 

event is designed primarily for teachers 

and instructional coaches from the five 

Northwest states.

To learn more, contact Angela.Roccograndi@educationnorthwest.org. n

education northwest news
Education Northwest magazine / fall 2009 43

National Study Examines Use of Educational Research by Policymakers and Practitioners

While the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandates the use of 

scientific evidence in educational decisions, a study by Education 

Northwest finds that such evidence is used less frequently and is 

given less credence than other sources of information. National 

policymakers and practitioners who participated in the study 

expressed skepticism about research evidence (empirical findings derived from systematic methods and analyses) and noted 

a preference for information from peers, professional organizations, and personal experience. 

The study, commissioned by the William T. Grant Foundation, was conducted fall 2008 through spring 2009 by Education Northwest in collaboration with the Center for Knowledge 

Use in Education. Researchers Steve Nelson, James Leffler, and 

Barbara Hansen used a combination of structured focus groups 

and individual interviews to elicit comments from a limited, 

self-selected sample of 65 influential leaders in the areas of 

policy and practice. 

Participants represented six groups of federal, state, and local educational interests. These included congressional staff 

members and members of the following organizations: Council of Chief State School Officers, National Conference of State 

Legislatures, American Association of School Administrators, 

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 

and National School Boards Association. 

There was little variation among the groups in their responses to questions about what factors encourage and inhibit the 

use of research evidence and what sources of evidence are most 

frequently used in educational decision-making. 

Study participants reported that political perspectives, public sentiment, potential legal pitfalls, economic considerations, 

pressure from the media, and the welfare of individuals all take 

precedence over research evidence in influencing decisions. 

Furthermore, they believe there is a gulf between research design and real-world practice, and that research findings have 

limited applicability to their local contexts. 

“The study findings suggest that barriers to the use of research evidence are linked to an underlying belief that much 

research is not to be trusted or is severely limited in its potential applicability,” said Nelson. “Even with studies that meet 

‘gold standard’ criteria, participants were aware that a narrowly 

designed study could report a false success or a false failure.” 

While not originally intended to be a focus of the study, one 

factor that emerged as a central feature to the research utilization process was the role of intermediaries. Participants repeatedly referred to their reliance on intermediaries, who were described as unbiased organizations and individuals that can help 

locate, sort, and prioritize the available research. 

The full report can be accessed at educationnorthwest.org. n

Education Northwest Conducts Landmark Study of Idaho Charter Schools

A comprehensive study of Idaho’s “brick and mortar” charter schools 

will be used by the Idaho Department of Education to increase the 

choices available to parents and students and to support school 

improvement efforts across the state. Idaho Superintendent 

of Public Instruction Tom Luna said the study conducted by 

Education Northwest “shows that offering more choices within 

public education over the past decade has helped raise student achievement and meet the needs of more Idaho students.” 

He added that studies measuring the effectiveness of existing 

programs and policies are critical as the state works to raise 

student achievement. 

Idaho passed a public charter school law in 1998. The state 

now has 36 public charter schools serving more than 10,000 

students statewide. Another five charter schools have been 

approved to open in fall 2010. 

The Statewide Study of “Brick and Mortar” Public Charter 

Schools in Idaho evaluates the key reasons students choose to 

attend or leave public charter schools; the experience students 

and parents have at these schools of choice; and student performance at public charter schools during the past decade. Education Northwest researchers led by Changhua Wang analyzed 

existing data on student demographics and student achievement. They also examined the results from surveys of charter 

school students, parents, teachers, and principals. 

The study, funded by a federal grant, showed 97 percent of 

parents, students and teachers at public charter schools indicated they are happy with their school. Also, public charter 

school students, on average, are performing equal to or better 

than students in traditional public school settings, even when 

comparing the academic performance among students with 

disabilities, Title I students, students of different ethnicities, 

and English language learners.

The study can be viewed at educationnorthwest.org. For 

more information, or to discuss a similar study for your state, 

contact Changhua Wang at 503.275.9567 or Changhua.Wang@

educationnorthwest.org. n
44 educationnorthwest.org

Flashback

1. Three Educational Leaders Join

Board

A researcher from Fairbanks, a Seattle 

business leader, and a Eugene school 

administrator are the newest members 

of Education Northwest’s board of directors. Barbara Adams, Juan Carlos 

Cuadros, and Sean Murray join 27 other 

directors who govern the organization 

and represent constituent groups from 

throughout the region.

Barbara Adams serves as the research 

lead for the Alaska Statewide Mentor Project at the University of Alaska, 

which provides individualized support 

to first- and second-year teachers. Juan 

Carlos Cuadros is the assistant principal of grades 6–8 at Theodore Roosevelt 

Middle School in Eugene, Oregon. And, 

Sean Murray is the founder and president of RealTime Performance, a leadership and organizational development 

company headquartered in Seattle. 

Beaverton School District Superintendent Jerry Colonna was elected to 

serve a second term as board chair during Education Northwest’s annual meeting this summer. 

Pictured from left to right 

are Juan Carlos Cuadros, Barbara Adams, and Sean Murray. 

2. Reference Desk Services Win Kudos 

Jennifer Klump, who operates the regional educational laboratory reference 

desk at Education Northwest, was honored by her colleagues with the prestigious Jerry Kirkpatrick Award for Special Achievement. The award is given 

each year to an employee who has made 

an outstanding contribution to the organization. Klump was cited for her exemplary customer service and dedication in 

providing research to the field. Her work 

has also been recognized by the Institute 

of Education Sciences. Through the free 

reference service, Klump offers answers 

to specific questions, links to evidencebased research, and referrals to promising practices, technical assistance providers, and other organizations. She can 

be reached at info@educationnorthwest.

org or at 800.547.6339, ext. 454. Pictured are Jerry Kirkpatrick and Jennifer 

Klump. 

3. Serve and Celebrate

Staff members, friends, and family 

rolled up their sleeves to spruce up Lane 

Middle School during Education Northwest’s annual Serve and Celebrate event 

on September 19. Despite a rainy morning, volunteers eagerly took on outdoor 

gardening and cleaning tasks to make 

the grounds more welcoming as the new 

school year got underway. Inside, crews 

touched up paint on handrails, window 

trim, and doors. Education Northwest 

workers were joined by students and 

staff of the school, which is located in 

Southeast Portland. “Knowing that 

a community partner like Education 

Northwest is willing to give of their time 

and effort to partner with Lane Middle 

School is refreshing and a great way to 

start the new school year,” said Principal Karl Logan. Education Northwest 

employees also donated classroom supplies and funds to the school, where 80 

percent of students qualify for free and 

reduced-price lunch. n

education northwest news

Photos by Mount Burns

1 3

2
New Opportunities To Partner With Education Northwest 

To Improve Student Achievement

Investing in Innovation (i3) grants offer $650 million

Education Northwest can help your school or district apply for i3 funds that are now being offered as 

part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The grants are designed to support local efforts to start or expand research-based innovative programs that help close the achievement gap 

and improve outcomes for students. Funding includes scale-up grants for programs and practices 

with the potential to reach thousands of students; validation grants to improve the evidence base of 

promising programs; and development grants to further study new high-potential practices. 

If you’re considering applying for one of these grants, we can provide:

• Advice on identifying effective practices to include in your proposal

• External evaluation services

• Analysis of current research

• Coordination of networks of schools and districts collaborating on grant proposals

• Help in documenting evidence about your promising practices and programs

• Grant writing support

• Assistance in implementing your reforms

Education Northwest has 40-plus years of experience transforming teaching and learning 

throughout the region, with services such as:

• Providing professional development in mathematics and literacy

• Scaling up effective strategies for English language learner students

• Implementing dropout prevention and other school improvement strategies

For more information on how we can partner with you on i3 proposals, contact Steve Fleischman 

at 503.275.9507 or Steve.Fleischman@educationnorthwest.org.

For ARRA tips, tools, and services, check out our Northwest Education Recovery Clearinghouse at 

educationnorthwest.org/nwarra/.

101 SW Main St, Suite 500

Portland, OR 97204-3213

800.547.6339
educationnorthwest.org

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