MARYSVILLE, Wash. — Marysville families weigh in and ask questions about plans to close the district’s schools amid a $3 million budget shortfall.

The last of three public meetings took place Monday evening at Marysville Middle School.

“They’re facing staff reductions on top of cuts to schools and services and potentially sports, and everything is potentially on the verge of cuts,” David Vinvek of Marysville told KOMO News.

With sticky notes on the wall, it didn’t feel like a typical school board meeting, and parents said that’s what they appreciated about this more interactive and inclusive format.

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“If we could see it, you would plot it on a map, where the student population densities are relative to the schools. It might make more sense to redraw district boundaries and figure out which schools might be best. ” to consider closures,” Vinvek added.

“It’s going to take all of us to figure this out,” said Laurell Lundgren Parratt, who has a granddaughter in the district. Acting Superintendent Dr. Dave Burgess said these exercises in previous meetings have been productive.

“We had a situation where a recommendation was to consolidate the high schools and make it a campus of eight or nine, and then a campus of 10, 11 and 12, something we had never even thought about,” he said. he declared.

The district has been tracking school enrollment and capacity, as well as building condition, size and location, but no decisions about closures have been made. The Marysville Education Association hopes the district’s new leaders can help bring more students back to Marysville despite planned budget cuts.

“What we’ve experienced over the last few years has caused people to no longer want to stay in this community, in this school district,” said MEA President Becky Roberts. “We’ve been losing pretty consistently, you know, probably two to 400 kids a year over the last few years.”

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Dr. Burgess, in his new role for nearly a month, said he sees the district’s budget crisis as a two-pronged problem.

“What message do you have for families as you work to manage the budget situation? » asked Jackie Kent of KOMO News.

“It’s very difficult because many contracts have already been made, employees are being hired and there is currently no wiggle room for a superintendent,” he said. “Next year, we need to engage in systemic thinking so that the changes we make can help this district become financially solvent in the long term.”

Dr. Burgess estimates the district could save up to $2 million a year by closing some campuses. Further cost reduction measures are expected, particularly regarding administrative staff at district level.

More meetings are still to come for district schools and staff, as well as Spanish-speaking families, who make up about 30 percent of the district’s population. No timetable was given for a decision on the closures.