Vancouver Public Schools - Resolution No. 941

From Vancouver Public Schools, March 11, 2026

Dear VPS staff and families,

Last night, March 10, the Board of Directors approved Resolution No. 941, formally adopting the Reduced Educational Program Plan for 2026–27.

As shared prior to the meeting, this plan reflects approximately $24 million in reductions necessary to stabilize our budget. The resolution primarily identifies staffing reductions because those parameters require formal board approval in order to begin the legally required notification process.

We know that seeing specific positions identified makes this very real. These are people who serve students and families every day. This is not simply a financial adjustment, it affects our colleagues, friends, and neighbors and will impact our school communities.

Before bringing forward staffing reductions, we reduced non-personnel expenses wherever legally and operationally possible, including program closures, contract reductions, deferred purchases, and operational adjustments. 

We worked to prioritize protecting classrooms, reflecting community feedback to the greatest extent possible. Even so, given that 84% of our budget supports direct classroom services, it is not possible to fully shield schools and student-facing roles from impact at this level of reductions.

We remain concerned about the structure of school funding in Washington State. Until the prototypical funding model more accurately reflects the true cost of operating schools, districts across the state will continue facing difficult tradeoffs within restrictive budget constraints.

We will now begin implementing the reduction in force process in accordance with collective bargaining agreements and state law. Impacted employees will receive notice in the coming weeks.

This is a very difficult moment for our district. Thank you for your professionalism, care, and support for one another as we move forward.