The photo event for the new LOMS on Monday, Oct. 28. (Mac Larsen/Lake Oswego Review)

On Friday, May 30, the Lake Oswego School District sent a message to the LOSD community signaling that, amidst ongoing “active negotiations” with the Lake Oswego Education Association, the district’s teachers’ union, further budget cuts could be necessary. 

The district cannot comment on active contract negotiations with the LOEA, but is planning for the possibility of higher costs than originally projected. 

“Earlier this year, we shared news about reductions in staffing across our district, with the intention of making a single, comprehensive adjustment that would allow families, students, and staff time to plan ahead. While our projected revenue remains steady, we are now facing the likelihood of increased costs that may require additional staffing reductions,” the message said. 

The possible impacts noted were: middle schools returning to a seven-period daily schedule, blended elementary school classrooms and increasing high school class sizes. All three of these suggested impacts are centered around lower staffing levels, which would push class sizes higher. 

These signals follow a cloudy June economic forecast from the State of Oregon which was discussed during the district’s budget committee meeting on May 21. The June state general fund forecast declined $798 million from the March economic forecast, causing stakeholders across the state to prepare for further belt tightening. 

“The key takeaway from that is to continue to advocate for the $11.4 billion (State School Fund), that is something that we can’t stop doing,” said Superintendent Jennifer Scheile during the budget meeting. 

This was the final budget committee meeting before the budget hearing in June, and the committee voted to approve the proposed 2025-26 LOSD budget.

Rising costs and shrinking revenues, when combined with a contraction of funds following the influx of education financial support during the pandemic, has left Lake Oswego, like many school districts, forced to make reductions and budget cuts. 

As of the May 21 budget committee meeting, 57 teachers were part of the reduction-in-force. This means they were either laid off, voluntarily left or were retired, or were not renewed for a temporary contract. 

These reductions were all part of a $10 million budget shortfall the district announced at the end of last year. This resulted in a special fundraising campaign organized by elementary school parents with the Lake Oswego Schools Foundation. 

Now, with the budget hearing scheduled for Monday, June 9 and school board adoption scheduled for Monday, June 23, the district remains unsure of the extent to which further cuts will be made. 

“This is not a step we hoped to take again, and we know the uncertainty can feel unsettling. While we do not yet know which specific positions may be affected, we want to be transparent about what is being considered so families can begin to prepare,” the message said.