This fall, students and teachers alike are being forced to adapt to larger class sizes. The district has had to find ways to reduce its budget by $15 million this year, nearly half of which was through teacher layoffs. These layoffs have resulted in larger class sizes and bigger workloads for both teachers and staff.

The $15 million budget reduction is a result of multiple factors, including declining enrollment, depleted pandemic funds, and increased retirement funding. At the state level, the Public Employment Retirement System (PERS) has seen increases in staffing and payroll costs this school year. At the district level, this has led to a mandatory $6 million increase in PERS costs, more than twice the percentage of the budget allocated to it from last year. 

Other areas, such as the Reynolds and Portland Public school districts, are also adjusting to the budget constraints this year, as they are not only a district but a state issue.

To address these cuts, the district has reduced expenses across four main areas at the district and school levels. This included reductions in: administrative personnel (including Information Technology and Human Resources roles), non-personnel (things like materials and supplies), non-classroom personnel (such as librarians, paraeducators, custodians, etc.), and, most notably, teacher personnel. 

The teacher reductions make up more than half of the total cuts at over $7.5 million. This was then further split between the 16 schools in the district, with around half the layoffs coming from primary schools and the other half evenly distributed between the middle and high schools. In total, 59 teachers were laid off last year. 

The district was unable to provide specific numbers for the 2025-2026 school year at this time, but Andrew Kilstrom, District Director of Communications, has recognized larger class sizes this year.

“The student-to-teacher ratio is higher [this year], meaning class sizes are larger than they were last year overall,” Kilstrom said. 

Bigger classes are not only affecting teachers, but also other staff members. Rick Ruddell, counselor, joined the high school staff two years ago and supports students with the last names Mc-Sas. 

“Larger class sizes have definitely made scheduling a bigger challenge,” Ruddell said. “I don’t have as many choices for people to pick and choose to go into [besides] the bigger classes I want to avoid putting people into. And so it’s just harder because there’s less flexibility.”

Despite this, counselors like Ruddell continue to adapt to the new challenges. For instance, many students this year came in to talk to counselors about changing their schedules and found classes to be full. 

”We have fewer resources in the form of teachers and admin assistants in the building, but I am still doing everything I can to give students what they need and to give them the amount of time that would be fair to them,” Ruddell said. “Do I feel like I’m giving students less? Maybe, but I’m still giving the students everything I can.”

On the teaching side of things, Wind Lothamer, Digital Arts teacher, finds that he doesn’t have as much time to connect with students. This year, his classes have up to 38 people in them. 

“If you’re a student, you’ve probably noticed that you’re getting a little bit less time, a little bit less attention from each of your teachers,” Lothamer said.

For Lothamer, connecting with students enables him to peer into each student’s personal process for making art. 

“[This year] it’s harder to have those conversations, so it takes a little bit longer to really get a good understanding of where kids are trying to go with their work,” Lothamer said.

Depending on the teacher’s office hours, there are specific times students can receive extra help and ask questions outside of class. This includes utilizing green passes during Life class and seeing teachers on Access Days.

“[Teachers] want to help, that’s one of the reasons they become teachers, and so take advantage of that by working with your teachers, asking them for help,” Ruddell said.

At a larger scale, students and community members can reach out to local legislators to tell them why funding education is important and help schools get more funding. As for now, time will tell how these increased class sizes affect us all. 

“[I haven’t heard complaints from students], I think that’s a mix of people being understanding this year and just recognizing that this is the reality we have,” Ruddell said. “I don’t think the large classes are really going to be felt until later this year.”

With so much change, it is important to remember that counselors and teachers are available to talk to. Students can find the counselors who support them here.