Speculation swirls after Richland schools finance director resigns. Here are the facts
Richland School District’s finance director put in his resignation just days before principals and teachers were told to cut back on spending due to budget problems.
Then, when administrators announced plans a few weeks later to layoff paraeducators and leave other positions unfilled, speculation about Clinton Sherman’s sudden departure flared in the community.
But district officials say Sherman’s decision to leave after nearly a decade was “entirely personal.”
“We are aware of some speculation surrounding the timing of Mr. Sherman’s departure, particularly given the district’s pursuit of a capital bond and challenges with funding from the state level,” spokesperson Shawna Dinh told the Tri-City Herald.
“We want to clarify that his decision to leave was entirely personal. Our focus as a district continues to be on meeting the needs of our students, staff and families,” she said.
October school board documents show Sherman’s resignation earlier in the month was effective Oct. 31 with no reason listed for his departure.
Sherman could not be reach by email Monday about his decision to leave.
The school district published a job posting Oct. 29 for a new executive director of its financial services department. The post, which lists an annual salary of $175,600 to nearly $191,000, will remain open until filled. Salary data shows Sherman made nearly $183,900.
The district office has undergone a culling in recent weeks, with the elimination of 20% of positions through attrition to correct for “financial hardships.” That includes several highly paid administrators and officials.
Officials have not said exactly how much they are trying to save to avoid a budget deficit this school year.
In mid-October, School Board President Rick Jansons said the current situation wasn’t dire and that the board would be closely monitoring spending over the coming months.
Superintendent Shelley Redinger then announced plans to cut costs and eliminate some vacant positions and a districtwide spending freeze also was put in place.
The sudden layoff announcement seemed to catch many parents and employees by surprise.
But Richland’s predicament is not unique. Public school districts across the state and U.S. have been making steep cuts in recent years to offset the rising cost of materials and operations, higher insurance costs, lower enrollment and a “spending cliff” caused by one-time federal dollars dolled out during the COVID pandemic.
Richland ‘financial hardships’
Last week, Richland announced plans to immediately cut basic education paraeducator hours as part of a plan to reduce spending for the 2024-25 school year.
The district’s budget plan for the year included $233 million in general fund spending and $235 million in revenues.
An overwhelming majority of that goes to student instruction, and in turn 86% of it exclusively to staff and teacher salaries.
Richland’s cuts to the paraeducator program would have impacted 34 positions. About 450 paraeducators and class aides work in the district.
The plan would have had a direct impact on education since paraeducators — among the lowest-paid district employees — work one-on-one with students and teachers to support instruction and learning. Many have characterized these workers as the “backbone” of the classroom.
But the school board intervened in a Wednesday letter to staff, saying it was “pausing” the administration’s request to reduce paraeducators in lieu of forming a “comprehensive plan” forward.
That plans includes reviewing business contracts and non-staff expenses, assessing all district positions and using attrition.
The Richland School District has more than 14,000 students and about 1,400 employees.
Bond measure on ballot
Richland School District’s financial woes come at a tricky time.
The Nov. 5 election includes a request to district voters to pass a $314 million bond measure to build a new high school in West Richland to relieve overcrowding and rebuild the decrepit River’s Edge High School.
The district has about 900 more high school students than its facilities can accommodate.
If passed, revenue from bond sales would pay for building the third high school, make improvements at Hanford and Richland high schools and a create a new bus hub.
But opening new schools can also cost school districts for new salaries, furnishings and resources.
Finance director resignation
Sherman joined Richland in February 2015 as the assistant director of financial services.
Before that, the Eastern Washington University graduate spent four years as business manager at Royal School District and four years as executive director of finance and operations at Wahluke School District, both in Grant County, according to a blog post by the Washington Association of School Business Officials.
“While we respect Mr. Sherman’s privacy regarding the specifics of his choice, we do not know if he is pursuing other career opportunities. We wish him well in all his future endeavors,” Dinh told the Herald.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 11:49 AM.
