OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Students, teachers and parents speak against potential cuts to staffing positions within the Oshkosh Area School District. The District says the cuts are necessary to fill a $6 million budget deficit.
- OASD says they expect a $6 million deficit in their 2026-27 operating budget due to declining enrollment and insufficient state funding.
- The district is proposing cutting 70.2 positions, including driver's education, director of community engagement and equity, literacy support and media specialists.
- The cuts would also mean elective teachers would lose a prep hour- teaching six out of seven periods each day.
The Oshkosh Area School Board discussed the budget deficit and the potential position cuts at their meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
Superintendent Bryan Davis says the district is facing a $6 million operating budget deficit due to declining enrollment and insufficient funds.
Davis says they’ve been expecting declining enrollment, but it’s happening faster than they originally predicted.
This past year, they lost 177 students, compared to 12 the year before, according to the district. Davis says this is because of a significantly smaller student refugee population, open enrollment and declining birth rate.
The district also says state funding has not caught up with inflationary costs- a deficit of $3,300 per student.
“Our inflationary increases in cost don’t match the state revenue increases that we’ve gotten,” Davis says.
The deficit is in operations, so the district says they are unable to use facilities funding approved by the recent spring referendum.
Currently, the district is operating with a $7.95 operational referendum, approved by voters in 2020. Davis says they’ll need to request another referendum before 2030.
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The district says staff salaries and benefits make up 80% of the operating budget.
To account for the budget deficit, the district proposes cutting $896,000 from the pre-k and elementary level, $2,273,800 from secondary schools and $3,397,500 from the central office and district level.
The district is asking the board to cut 70.2 positions, including ArtsCore coordinator, director of community engagement and equity, two peer coaches, elementary STEM coordinator, driver’s education program, elementary counselor, special education Whatever it Takes teacher, media specialists, reductions for journalism, yearbook, drama and global academy, and three classroom teachers at Shapiro Elementary.
A full list of proposed position cuts can be found here.
Dozens of people spoke during public comment at the board meeting.
“This district has always been a source of pride for me, but in the last few years, and especially with your most recent decisions, that pride has been replaced with disappointment and disbelief,” Michelle Jones, a Spanish teacher at Traeger Middle School says. “To make these cuts while administration seemingly takes no reduction in pay, positions or workload, seems to send a very clear message- that those closest to students are the ones easiest to sacrifice.”
“I understand that there is a budget shortfall, but in the current proposal, at best, is short sighted with ramifications that have proven to cause more harm than good,” Ted Williams, a middle school choir teacher, says.
Several students also spoke out, many showing support for elective teachers and subjects.
“I ask the board and the district to carefully consider the potential impacts of its actions,” Area Boehler, a current Oshkosh student says.
“I loved my classes very much, they shaped me into who I am today because I found a niche in the blue collar industry which was shaped around shop classes,” Luna Nelson, an Oshkosh West High School alumni, says. “They gave me a sense of unity in school, they gave me a reason to come to school.”
Other students spoke about the importance of the director of community engagement and equity position, currently held by Anthony Miller.
“Through my high school career, I’ve been in the district when there both was and wasn’t a director of community engagement and equity,” Micah Troedel, an Oshkosh student, says. “That equity piece has allowed students like me to have a lot more opportunity.”
“This feels like a jab straight to the heart,” Amiyah Thomas, another Oshkosh student says in response to cutting the director of community engagement and equity position.
The district is asking the board to find solutions for the budget deficit before January 14, when students need to pick out classes for next year.
“To push this off any further is going to be more damaging to students than it’s going to be good,” Davis says.
More information on the budget presentation can be found in the meeting agenda packet.
