Prosser schools faces $1.6M shortfall. But parents beg board to keep 35-year employee
Several hundred people packed the Prosser School Board meeting this week to protest a plan to eliminate the contract of Kevin Lusk, the longtime athletic director and former high school principal.
The cut is part of a number of cost saving measures district administrators are proposing in order to deal with a $1.6 million budget shortfall next school year.
Students planned a walkout at 9 a.m. Friday in protest. Lusk has served the district in multiple roles for 35 years.
The school district said his job responsibilities would likely be spread out to other staff members or teachers during the 2022-23 school year.
At Wednesday night’s board meeting, about two dozen people spoke in support of Lusk, pleading for the district to reconsider the decision.
Staff, students, community members and graduates argued that not renewing his contract would be damaging to the community.
Sports program cuts
“The athletic director is a vital part of our school district and our sports programs. The decision will be detrimental to our athletes and coaches,” Rachelle Wiley, president of the Prosser Booster Club, said in a prepared statement.
“We, under no circumstances, feel that eliminating a position that’s more crucial now than ever should be supported by the school board or the community,” she told the board.
The Prosser Coaches Association said this week that they worry that not having that dedicated position could open the school up to legal liability by not having someone working full time to ensure fundraising, and that safety protocols are followed in the correct manner, according to a copy of the statement obtained by the Herald.
In all, it’s estimated about a third of the district’s athletic budget will be cut next school year.
“We ask the district begin repair on what once was a strong working relationship between coaches and the district, and that the poor decision of eliminating the athletic director position be reversed immediately,” said the statement.
Lusk, who was at the session, also chimed in during the public comment period, which lasted for about two hours. He pleaded for the district to keep his position budgeted.
“My part has always been to connect with kids, with people, to support kids, to challenge kids, to challenge staff to lead, to learn, and and to work to make things great,” he said, adding, “Together, I know we can make a difference and I ask you reconsider the plan.”
Lusk has had a long history with the school district and has previously worked as the high school’s principal, a coach and a teacher.
In 2012, Lusk was placed on temporary administrative leave in connection with a number of probation violations involving his ex-wife.
Linda Lusk, Prosser former mayor, had to register as a sex offender after she inappropriately touched a 14-year-old boy at her house. She was convicted of third-degree child molestation in 2011.
The case drew national attention and was even re-visited in 2013 by ABC’s 20/20 TV news magazine.
Budget shortfall
Some Prosser parents and others said this week they were caught off guard by the severity of the budget shortfall given the recent passage of their operations levy.
Prosser, which serves about 2,500 students, was the only school district last month in Benton County that passed its levy. About $5.3 million, or 9%, of the district’s budget comes from levy funding.
Levies in the Kennewick and Finley school districts failed and both are busy trimming their budgets and making cuts for next school year. The soonest they can ask voters again is February 2023 and even if it passes the taxes can’t be collected until 2024.
Prosser voters approved renewing their levy by just 61 votes, and the district will collect $2.13 on every $1,000 of assessed property value.
Had the levy not passed this year, Prosser would be looking at a $5 million budget shortfall and far deeper cuts.
It’s unclear what’s causing the shortfall.
Superintendent Matthew Ellis didn’t return calls from the Herald this week.
One issue could be that about 238 students living within the school district boundaries are opting out of attending Prosser schools, according to the district.
Graduation requirement cuts
Another cost-saving proposal would reduced graduation requirements for seniors from 26 credits to 24.
The reduction is a half-credit of social studies and 1.5 credits of electives.
The school board took a first look at the proposal on Wednesday, but ultimately tabled a vote on that until they could hold another workshop. A special meeting on that issue is set for Wednesday, June 1.
In a letter to the school board this week, the Prosser High School social studies department scolded the district over the “complete disregard” for the teachers and others affected by that proposed cut.
“We are concerned about the lack of communication and collaboration surrounding these decisions made by district leadership. Our department was not informed or consulted about any of these proposed changes. In the draft of the new changes, three of our current courses were eliminated without any communication made with teachers who teach them,” the letter read.
Also, teachers at the meeting said the reduction would result in lost state funding because students would be able to graduate two trimesters earlier, as well as harm a student’s competitiveness when applying for college and impact senior student-athletes who are required to hold a full-time course load as part of their eligibility.
This story was originally published May 26, 2022 at 6:59 PM.
