Richland cuts 11 nurses, admin assistants. They’re the school’s ‘heart and soul’
Five full-time nurses and six administrative assistants in the Richland School District are being laid off and won’t return for the 2025-26 school year.
The school board approved a consent agenda item this week to cut 11 positions. They also reassigned five secondary school librarians to move to teaching positions.
The elimination of the administrative assistant roles are because of budget problems, the school district’s public information officer, Shawna Dinh, confirmed.
The budget crisis was caused by increased costs and stagnant revenue, cuts to levy matching dollars from Washington state and several years of overspending.
As a result, district leaders are making deep cuts and reorganizing staffing for this school year and next.
The assistants help with a range of issues, including student discipline, helping principals with tasks and facilitating meetings with parents and teachers.
But specific duties often depend on what type of school the assistant is working in and its needs.
They also sometimes help coordinate schedules, assist with assemblies, prepare reports and might attend various school events, such as conferences and open houses.
The salaries of the six administrative assistants who were cut at mostly elementary schools range from $47,800 to $68,500 a year.
Two being laid off were honored in recent years as “Classified School Employee of the Year.”
Terah Ochoa, who worked at River’s Edge High School last year before transferring to Marcus Whitman Elementary, was the district winner.
She’s been described as the selfless “heart and soul” of the school. Ochoa even went so far as to counsel a student through a mental health crisis.
“Through her compassion, kindness and unwavering commitment to affirming the student’s worth, she was able to help them reflect on the positive impact they bring to the community at River’s Edge. The student left feeling loved, valued and excited for the future,” a March 2024 district profile described the action.
Stephanie O’Brien-Green, an admin assistant at Lewis and Clark Elementary, was recognized in 2022 as the regional ESD 123 “Classified School Employee of the Year.” Administrators say she went the “extra mile for students.”
At the time, she recounted in an interview with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, an interaction with a student who was feeling “lost” and having trouble attending classes. She assured him he was valued and they agreed she would check in with him every day.
“And so, every day, I would walk by and he would look up and he would see that I was there. There was not words (exchanged), no nothing, but he knew someone was caring for him and checking on him,” O’Brien-Green said.
The last day of school, the student told her he wanted her to attend her graduation. “I knew he could do it, and he just needed a little extra support to know that people cared,” she said.
The wages of the five nurses laid off from middle and elementary schools range from $63,200 to $99,700.
Medical professionals have called the reduction of professional nurses in schools “downright dangerous.”
They said they offer more than just first aid. They keep students in class and directly contribute to academic success by assessing symptoms, providing health education and managing chronic conditions.
But the state does not cover the full cost to retain a full-time nurse in each public school. It covers just half the salary of a full-time nurse for a 400-student elementary school.
Enrollment, budget challenges
Richland administrators are busy cutting expenses and staff to align with the revenues they’ll receive for the upcoming school year.
Travis Belisle, the district’s executive director of finance, says they are budgeting conservatively while taking into account reduced enrollment.
No figures have been presented yet for the 2025-26 school year because the Washington Legislature is still wrapping up work adjusting formulas and funding models for state public schools.
But the district says it’s making progress on balancing its current budget despite more financial challenges.
About 42 students un-enrolled during the month of April from Richland schools, according to the budget update.
It was called a “significant drop” that’s likely to cost the district around $175,000 in average state apportionment next year.
The Richland district has about 13,400 full-time students.
Belisle’s budget report for April also shows that the district is still in the red, year-to-date, by about $9.5 million.
Since January, its general fund has spent more than $141 million while incoming revenues covered about $132 million.
The district is still on track to balance its current budget with a net gain, but Belisle says that the projection of $237 million in revenues is “optimistic” based on enrollment declines.
Estimated spending is expected to be $234 million.
The district is hoping to rebuild its general budget fund balance back up to $12 million, and expects to end this year with more than $3 million banked.
