Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Cordell suggests cutting position to part-time
John Cordell
TEKOA - After less than a year on the job, Tekoa School District Superintendent John Cordell has tendered his resignation.
Cordell offered the School Board his resignation during a meeting Wednesday, March 16. His resignation is effective June 30.
"I resigned my position, with the option of staying on ... part-time," he said. "Tekoa doesn't need two full-time administrators."
The School Board was expected to discuss the staffing issue and Cordell's future in Tekoa with the superintendent Wednesday. The Gazette went to press prior to that session.
According to Cordell, the district can only afford a full-time principal to operate K-12 schools and a part-time superintendent to manage finances and overall operations; he's been handling both.
"My option is to stager back my involvement to half-time," he said, noting that will allow the district to allocate a large percentage of his salary and benefits package to hire a principal. "That's really what's best for Tekoa."
The move isn't unusual for small schools. And it's become more common in the wake of the state Supreme Court's McCleary decision, which dramatically altered the taxing structure for education.
In the McCleary decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature had failed to provide basic funding for education. As a result, the taxing and funding formula changed to leverage billions of additional dollars for schools statewide.
That decision helped city schools in areas with high taxable valuations, but not small schools, Cordell said.
"McCleary works for the I-5 corridor and Spokane schools, but not small schools," he said. "It hurts the Tekoas."
Cordell took the job last year and resigned his full-time position in St. Maries, Idaho. He accepted the Tekoa post with every intent to stay until retirement.
But during the school year, he's had time to run the financial times many times. He's also provided them to others to see if they come up with the same problem - the district costs are higher than the McCleary funding formula provides.
"I think we're the only school district that lost revenue aver McCleary went into effect," he said, noting the funding formula slashed $250,000 from the district's revenue stream.
Meanwhile, costs have skyrocketed by about $300,000, with the operating budget near $4 million annually.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out," he said, noting the district is already at its property tax-rate limit. "We are so limited on the ability to generate revenue."
Cordell said the assessed valuation for Tekoa is in the $84.5 million range. Nearby, Oakesdale is more than twice as high at $172 million and Rosalia is higher at $192 million.
"Tekoa has the smallests assessed value of a community with a high school in the state," he said.
For comparison, Cordell said Tekoa property taxes generate only about $211,000 annually, while Rosalia brings in about $480,000.
"That is a spinoff of the McCleary decision," he said. "McCleary was not supposed to have a negative impact on schools."
Cordell said his decision to tender his resignation and cut his own hours and pay could be a harbinger of things to come for more rural schools that will be faced with having to cut positions, hours, wages and more to remain financially viable.
Toss in the state's push to consolidate rural schools by incentivizing construction for those rural school districts that consolidate, and it's going to get even tougher for many Eastern Washington communities, he said.
Cordell noted that in previous years, Tekoa, Rosalia and Oakesdale had talked about possible consolidation strategies from shared expenses to merging.
Those discussions may need to arise again, he said.
"The state has made it very clear," Cordell said. "It is trying to entice schools to consolidate."
For his part, Cordell would like to see the communities retain their local high schools, and identities. But he also noted that small communities cannot keep taxing their patrons.
He also hopes the state will revisit its funding formula.
In the meantime, Cordell said he hopes to work part-time with Tekoa and possibly other school districts close to his home in St. Maries.
He doesn't see himself returning to a full-time position, even though nearby the nearby Cheney School District is looking for a new superintendent.
Simultaneously, he said the Tekoa School District will have to assess its staffing as it works through the financial challenges it faces.
"It may require trimming some positions," he said. "But I think Tekoa is going to be alright."
For Cordell, it'll be "part-time or no time" in Tekoa as the School Board moves forward, he said.
"I love Tekoa," he said.
"It's a good community, good school, with a good board."
Roger Harnack is the co-owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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