After Mismanagement Put A District $1M In Debt, A Town Tries To Save Its Schools
After Mismanagement Put A District $1M In Debt, A Town Tries To Save Its Schools
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Thanksgiving was still on the horizon when 7-year-old Reagan Fletcher handed her mom, Kael, a Christmas list to send to the North Pole.
Scribbled in green marker, Reagan’s list already began with selfless requests: for her best friend to move back and a classmate to recover from a broken wrist. Then, the usuals: an iPad and boots.
But her last wish was for Santa to keep her school open.
This fall, she and the community of Prescott, Washington, learned their school was in danger of being shut down due to financial mismanagement. In 2021, the district had a $2 million budget surplus. But this year, Prescott reported it had roughly $1 million in credit card and bank loan debt.
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The district — home to 219 students and40 employees — was told by the state department of education in June that it needs about $1 million by the end of March to remain open for the 2026-27 school year. Otherwise, state officials will dissolve the district.
“We try not to talk about the big details, but she does know that the school could close, and she actually did her (Christmas list) on her own and brought it to me,” Fletcher said of Reagan, who is in second grade. “So it’s definitely affecting her — probably a little bit than we thought.”
Fletcher is a member of a recently formed parent-teacher organization that has joined the district teachers union and local businesses to raise the money needed to keep Prescott open. They created a “Save Prescott School” donation sitehosted auctions, dinners, sales and festivals, and have even planned a gala. The efforts have raised about $77,000 so far.
Parents and staff say that if the district is dissolved, the town will lose a place that has not only educated a highly diverse farming population for than a century, but is a cornerstone of the community.
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The Prescott School District has always been small. Serving about 360 residents, it sits among rolling hills in southeastern Washington state, about 25 miles from the Oregon border. Pre-kindergarten through 12th grade classes are held in several buildings on a single campus.
Most students are Hispanic, and English isn’t their first language. Many come from the nearby Vista Hermosa community, which has a large migrant population that works in a local fruit orchard.
At a May meetingthe school board and then-Superintendent Justin Bradford said they discovered in fall 2023 that purchases were made with money that was already spent elsewhere, and that the district’s business manager at the time, who was working remotely from Seattle, had been providing inaccurate financial information since the pandemic began. Things snowballed from there, they said, and soon the administration discovered a stream of unknown overdue bills and unpaid taxes.
A letter from the state education department recommended that the district be put under “enhanced financial oversight” after an investigation found accounting wasn’t supervised and invoices weren’t processed efficiently. A state audit report attributed the problems to repeated turnover in the business manager and finance director positions between September 2021 and August 2024. No employees were named, and no charges were filed.
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The district was put under state financial oversight in March 2024 and reduced its budget for the 2024-25 school year by $750,000. After budget cuts and staff reductions this summer, the district is still grappling with a $1 million deficit.
When Bradford resigned earlier this year, school Principal Jeff Foertsch stepped in as district leader. He said he had no idea how much financial trouble the district was in.
“There were a lot of people we did not know we owed money to — I was getting emails from them saying (we’re) a year past due, and there were no records on it,” he said. “We were spending than we were bringing in, and whoever was in charge of reporting those numbers was not reporting it correctly.”
Prescott isn’t the only district in crisis because of alarming budget deficits. Six other Washington school districts are also in financial oversight, according to the state education department.
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Money mismanagement and overspending has also plagued districts in New Jersey, North Carolina, New Hampshire andArizonaamong others. One school district in West Virginia is at risk of consolidation after it went from having $9 million in the bank to a projected budget deficit in three years.
In Washington, districts under financial oversight can be dissolved if they can’t come up with a two-year plan that resolves debt while restoring a balanced budget, according to the state education department. The last time a district was shut down was in 2007, when the state dissolved the Vader School District following financial struggles.
a و the و School – تفاصيل مهمة
On Dec. 10, a financial oversight committee recommended that Chris Reykdal, Washington superintendent of public instruction, begin the steps to dissolve Prescott while it searches for revenue. The superintendent can stop the process if the district raises enough funds by the end of March.
“If the (Prescott) district is able to secure revenue that is measurable and reliable in the amount of at least $1 million by March 31, 2026, then the district will likely continue operations in the 2026-27 school year,” the department said in an email to The 74.
Foertsch said the district’s plan for recouping the money includes selling teacher housing, which is worth $380,000; asking voters to approve a special tax; fundraising; and seeking help from the state legislature.
Last year, Washington’s Marysville School District was found to be in dire financial straits after a state audit and thrown out of the state’s risk management pool. Instead, the district was given money from a special state fund to buy its own insurance. Foertsch said a local state senator is trying to revise the budget to allow any money left over in that fund to be distributed to districts like Prescott.
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“It would be a bailout, which doesn’t feel good to say,” he said. “But (there) is a possibility that we can get a little bit of money as well.”
Auctions and spaghetti dinners
For now, teachers, parents, staff and local businesses are stepping up to fill the funding gap.
Travis Zigler, president of the Prescott Education Association and a social studies teacher, said the reason behind the financial crisis is irrelevant with the school’s future hanging in the balance.
“I don’t even like to think about blame in this situation, because we’re just in it and we need to move forward,” he said. “This community deserves to have their school.”
the و and و to – تفاصيل مهمة
Zigler said he knows every kid’s name. Students in the first class he taught when he began his job five years ago are graduating in the spring. While he and the roughly 18 teachers in the union were unaware of the situation a few months ago, they’re now determined to raise the money needed to prevent dissolution.
The union, community members, businesses and the parent-teacher organization have hosted auctions and spaghetti dinners. They’ve sold nameplates for bricks on school property, partnered with restaurants for fundraisers and created a Breakfast with Santa Claus. A formal gala is scheduled for March in hopes of bringing in an additional $100,000.
The parent-teacher organization also collected donations to restore traditional extracurricular activities that were lost to budget cuts, like a fifth grade ski summit and a band trip.
“Despite what’s going on, the students are still the No. 1 priority, and we are massively focused on just continuing to provide the best education we can,” Zigler said. “We’re doing our best to be positive.”
and و the و to – تفاصيل مهمة
Kaleb Young, a PTO member, said he worries about how the school closing could impact students and their families, especially those from vulnerable populations. Young graduated from the Prescott School District, and his daughter is in fifth grade there. His mother is a paraprofessional, his grandmother is a bus driver and his father was on the school board for 13 years.
Prescott School District is where kids get meal assistance in the summer. Young said the school is easy to get to on foot or by bike, and kids in the classes grow up together. If the district were dissolved, he said, friend groups would be broken up and students would be scattered among various districts several miles away.
“I wish that there was time,” he said. “We’re working with what we’ve got, and people are scrambling and rushing, and we’re doing what we can.”
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!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’); fbq(‘init’, ‘626037510879173’); // 626037510879173 fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);{“@context”:”http://schema.org”,”@type”:”NewsArticle”,”dateCreated”:”2025-12-15T21:40:56+04:00″,”datePublished”:”2025-12-15T21:40:56+04:00″,”dateModified”:”2025-12-15T21:40:56+04:00″,”headline”:”After Mismanagement Put a District $1M in Debt, a Town Tries to Save Its Schools”,”name”:”After Mismanagement Put a District $1M in Debt, a Town Tries to Save Its Schools”,”keywords”:[],”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/after-mismanagement-put-a-district-1m-in-debt-a-town-tries-to-save-its-schools-the-74/”,”description”:”Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Thanksgiving was still on the horizon when 7-year-old Reagan Fletcher handed her mom, Kael, a Christmas list to se”,”copyrightYear”:”2025″,”articleSection”:”Education”,”articleBody”:”nnn n Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newslettern n n n nThanksgiving was still on the horizon when 7-year-old Reagan Fletcher handed her mom, Kael, a Christmas list to send to the North Pole.nnnnScribbled in green marker, Reaganu2019s list already began with selfless requests: for her best friend to move back and a classmate to recover from a broken wrist. Then, the usuals: an iPad and boots.nnnnBut her last wish was for Santa to keep her school open. nnnnThis fall, she and the community of Prescott, Washington, learned their school was in danger of being shut down due to financial mismanagement. In 2021, the district had a $2 million budget surplus. But this year, Prescott reported it had roughly $1 million in credit card and bank loan debt. The district u2014 home to 219 students and 40 employees u2014 was told by the state department of education in June that it needs about $1 million by the end of March to remain open for the 2026-27 school year. Otherwise, state officials will dissolve the district.nnnnu201cWe try not to talk about the big details, but she does know that the school could close, and she actually did her (Christmas list) on her own and brought it to me,u201d Fletcher said of Reagan, who is in second grade. u201cSo itu2019s definitely affecting her u2014 probably a little bit more than we thought.u201dnnnnFletcher is a member of a recently formed parent-teacher organization that has joined the district teachers union and local businesses to raise the money needed to keep Prescott open. They created a u201cSave Prescott Schoolu201d donation sitehosted auctions, dinners, sales and festivals, and have even planned a gala. The efforts have raised about $77,000 so far. nnnnParents and staff say that if the district is dissolved, the town will lose a place that has not only educated a highly diverse farming population for more than a century, but is a cornerstone of the community.nnnnnnnnnnThe Prescott School District has always been small. Serving about 360 residents, it sits among rolling hills in southeastern Washington state, about 25 miles from the Oregon border. Pre-kindergarten through 12th grade classes are held in several buildings on a single campus. nnnnMost students are Hispanic, and English isnu2019t their first language. Many come from the nearby Vista Hermosa community, which has a large migrant population that works in a local fruit orchard. nnnnAt a May meetingthe school board and then-Superintendent Justin Bradford said they discovered in fall 2023 that purchases were made with money that was already spent elsewhere, and that the districtu2019s business manager at the time, who was working remotely from Seattle, had been providing inaccurate financial information since the pandemic began. Things snowballed from there, they said, and soon the administration discovered a stream of unknown overdue bills and unpaid taxes. nnnnA letter from the state education department recommended that the district be put under u201cenhanced financial oversightu201d after an investigation found accounting wasnu2019t supervised and invoices werenu2019t processed efficiently. A state audit report attributed the problems to repeated turnover in the business manager and finance director positions between September 2021 and August 2024. No employees were named, and no charges were filed.nnnnThe district was put under state financial oversight in March 2024 and reduced its budget for the 2024-25 school year by $750,000. After more budget cuts and staff reductions this summer, the district is still grappling with a $1 million deficit. nnnnWhen Bradford resigned earlier this year, school Principal Jeff Foertsch stepped in as district leader. He said he had no idea how much financial trouble the district was in. nnnnu201cThere were a lot of people we did not know we owed money to u2014 I was getting emails from them saying (weu2019re) a year past due, and there were no records on it,u201d he said. u201cWe were spending more than we were bringing in, and whoever was in charge of reporting those numbers was not reporting it correctly.u201dnnnnPrescott isnu2019t the only district in crisis because of alarming budget deficits. Six other Washington school districts are also in financial oversight, according to the state education department. nnnnMoney mismanagement and overspending has also plagued districts in New Jersey, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Arizonaamong others. One school district in West Virginia is at risk of consolidation after it went from having $9 million in the bank to a projected budget deficit in three years.nnnnRelatedWest Virginia School District Under State of Emergency Due to $2.5M DeficitnnnnIn Washington, districts under financial oversight can be dissolved if they canu2019t come up with a two-year plan that resolves debt while restoring a balanced budget, according to the state education department. The last time a district was shut down was in 2007, when the state dissolved the Vader School District following financial struggles. nnnnOn Dec. 10, a financial oversight committee recommended that Chris Reykdal, Washington superintendent of public instruction, begin the steps to dissolve Prescott while it searches for more revenue. The superintendent can stop the process if the district raises enough funds by the end of March.nnnnu201cIf the (Prescott) district is able to secure revenue that is measurable and reliable in the amount of at least $1 million by March 31, 2026, then the district will likely continue operations in the 2026-27 school year,u201d the department said in an email to The 74.nnnnFoertsch said the districtu2019s plan for recouping the money includes selling teacher housing, which is worth $380,000; asking voters to approve a special tax; fundraising; and seeking help from the state legislature.nnnnLast year, Washingtonu2019s Marysville School District was found to be in dire financial straits after a state audit and thrown out of the stateu2019s risk management pool. Instead, the district was given money from a special state fund to buy its own insurance. Foertsch said a local state senator is trying to revise the budget to allow any money left over in that fund to be distributed to districts like Prescott. nnnnu201cIt would be a bailout, which doesnu2019t feel good to say,u201d he said. u201cBut (there) is a possibility that we can get a little bit of money as well.u201dnnnnAuctions and spaghetti dinnersnnnnFor now, teachers, parents, staff and local businesses are stepping up to fill the funding gap.nnnnTravis Zigler, president of the Prescott Education Association and a social studies teacher, said the reason behind the financial crisis is irrelevant with the schoolu2019s future hanging in the balance. nnnnu201cI donu2019t even like to think about blame in this situation, because weu2019re just in it and we need to move forward,u201d he said. u201cThis community deserves to have their school.u201dnnnnZigler said he knows every kidu2019s name. Students in the first class he taught when he began his job five years ago are graduating in the spring. While he and the roughly 18 teachers in the union were unaware of the situation a few months ago, theyu2019re now determined to raise the money needed to prevent dissolution. nnnnThe union, community members, businesses and the parent-teacher organization have hosted auctions and spaghetti dinners. Theyu2019ve sold nameplates for bricks on school property, partnered with restaurants for fundraisers and created a Breakfast with Santa Claus. A formal gala is scheduled for March in hopes of bringing in an additional $100,000. nnnnThe parent-teacher organization also collected donations to restore traditional extracurricular activities that were lost to budget cuts, like a fifth grade ski summit and a band trip.nnnnu201cDespite whatu2019s going on, the students are still the No. 1 priority, and we are massively focused on just continuing to provide the best education we can,u201d Zigler said. u201cWeu2019re doing our best to be positive.u201dnnnnKaleb Young, a PTO member, said he worries about how the school closing could impact students and their families, especially those from vulnerable populations. Young graduated from the Prescott School District, and his daughter is in fifth grade there. His mother is a paraprofessional, his grandmother is a bus driver and his father was on the school board for 13 years.nnnnPrescott School District is where kids get meal assistance in the summer. Young said the school is easy to get to on foot or by bike, and kids in the classes grow up together. If the district were dissolved, he said, friend groups would be broken up and students would be scattered among various districts several miles away.nnnnu201cI wish that there was more time,u201d he said. u201cWeu2019re working with what weu2019ve got, and people are scrambling and rushing, and weu2019re doing what we can.u201dnn n n n Did you use this article in your work?
nWeu2019d love to hear how The 74u2019s reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers. Tell us hown n nnn !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;n t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,n document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);n fbq(‘init’, ‘626037510879173’); // 626037510879173n fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);n nnnnnDisclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification. nWe do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.nnnnnnAuthor: Lauren WagnernPublished on: 2025-12-15 21:30:00nSource: www.the74million.orgn”,”publisher”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”,”@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”uaetodaynews”,”logo”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/images-e1759081190269.png”},”sameAs”:[“https://www.facebook.com/uaetodaynewscom”,”https://www.pinterest.com/uaetodaynews/”,”https://www.instagram.com/uaetoday_news_com/”]},”sourceOrganization”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”},”copyrightHolder”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”},”mainEntityOfPage”:{“@type”:”WebPage”,”@id”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/after-mismanagement-put-a-district-1m-in-debt-a-town-tries-to-save-its-schools-the-74/”,”breadcrumb”:{“@id”:”#Breadcrumb”}},”author”:{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”uaetodaynews”,”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/author/arabsongmedia-net/”},”image”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/prescott-schools-825×495.jpg”,”width”:1200,”height”:495},”video”:{“@type”:”VideoObject”,”name”:”After Mismanagement Put a District $1M in Debt, a Town Tries to Save Its Schools”,”thumbnailUrl”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/prescott-schools-825×495.jpg”,”description”:”Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Thanksgiving was still on the horizon when 7-year-old Reagan Fletcher handed her mom, Kael, a Christmas list to se”,”uploadDate”:”2025-12-15T21:40:56+04:00″,”embedUrl”:”https://www.youtube.com/embed/0QosYzLqyVk?rel=0&wmode=opaque&autohide=1&border=0&egm=0&showinfo=0″}}
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
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Published on: 2025-12-15 19:40:00
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