As Yelm High School finishes its seventh week of the 2024-25 school year, students and staff are feeling the impacts from the failure of the educational programs and operations levy and resulting budget cuts.
YHS Principal Curtis Cleveringa, Assistant Principal Christopher Clark and student leaders shared some data and anecdotes about the struggles the school is facing as a result.
The YHS student body total headcount is 1,842, 13 higher than last year’s total. The school has 451 freshmen, 426 sophomores, 438 juniors, 405 seniors and 122 students at the Yelm Extension School. However, there are only 70.8 classroom teachers compared with 79 in 2023-24.
YHS has two fewer counselors and two fewer administrators compared with last year, as well as one fewer office support position. The school is down to 0.4 certificated support staff after employing two last year.
“We had four administrators and a restorative specialist or a dean. It’s just the three of us right now, and we are definitely feeling that impact,” Cleveringa said. “Last year, we had two certificated support individuals, one in CTE that did work-based learning all day and another that just supported teachers, and we do not have those positions. We did retain Mrs. [Hillary] Hull for a partial day to continue to do work-based learning.”
The special education staff has also taken a hit this year. Clark said the school started the year without the certificated staff position filled in the self-contained classroom for students with profound needs.
“We’ve had people that may not have been their specialty substituting or being in there. We are currently using a contract agency to have someone in that position,” he said. “We had five paraeducators in there last year. We have four listed. We only have two paraeducators in there with some of our most significant and profound students who are needing support. Those two ladies that we have in there working are exceptional, yes, but if you know someone that is willing to work with amazing kids who will fill your heart with amazing joy, please have them reach out to HR.”
YHS had 24 paraeducators who worked and supported special education students last year and started this school year with nine, although the school has filled four positions since then.
“You can see the shortfall of 11 people that help support our students here and make our system the best it can. It is a great, great need,” Clark said.
Cleveringa also reported a significant decrease in fall athletics participation compared with last year. Overall, there was a 14.5% decrease, with 382 student athletes this fall as opposed to 447 last fall. The biggest differences are in boys cross country, 43 last fall to 29 this fall ; volleyball 77 to 58; and football, 157 to 139. Cheer was the only sport or activity that saw an increase going from 35 to 41.
“I can’t quite put my finger on why our participation numbers are down, but they are down a little bit,” Cleveringa said.
The YHS Associated Student Body (ASB) Executive Board also spoke to the board about the difficulties they have faced through the first month of the school year and the goals they have for the remaining eight.
Lucy Mohrweis, ASB president, told the board that the student leaders are focusing on “investing in our Y,” a phrase that she said has a deeper meaning than face value.
“The word ‘Y’ is not the question of why, but ‘Y’ as in Yelm. The word ‘invest’ is not how you guys can invest in us or how the community can invest in us, but how can we invest in ourselves?” Mohrweis said. “This year, we are dedicated to investing in our image, investing in what it means to be a Yelm High School student. We know many opportunities and resources are unavailable to us this year, and we know that people have chosen not to invest in us, but we are choosing to not say no to ourselves.”
Mohrweis admitted that, as ASB leaders, “it’s sucked to be in ASB recently, and we’ve been told ‘no’ a lot.” She added that the students are driven in their struggle to find a yes and to ask questions and do more with less.
“This year, we’ve heard many things such as, ‘The community needs to see that you’re hurting,’ or ‘You can’t do that’ or ‘You won’t do that.’ Every time we hear these things, it hurts,” Mohrweis said. “But we continue to come back to the table. We continue to invest in our image and in our opportunities and in our peers.”
