MARYSVILLE – Due to declining enrollment of more than 100 students and the need to purchase new instructional materials, the Marysville School District is cutting its budget $2.9 million.

Because of retirements, resignations and reassignments, no teachers are receiving pink slips.

Department budgets will be frozen, while individual school budgets will be cut 15 percent.

Personnel cuts are being made from the superintendent’s office on down. Marysville Getchell High School will go from four principals to one.

Four security officers are being dropped, leaving eight.

Superintendent Becky Berg pointed out that is still more than Snohomish, a district of similar size, which has two. She also said the Marysville Police Department has increased its school resource officers from three to five.

“Our commitment to student and staff security remains a priority,” she said.

Add to that, the district reestablished its security management position. Graeme Kennedy, a graduate of Marysville-Pilchuck High School, is a retired state trooper who will not only oversee the remaining security officers, but also develop plans for all types of possible emergencies districtwide.

Berg said while she appreciates the work the security officers do, and doesn’t like to see anyone lose their job, she likes that the highly trained SROs are there.

She said she is also glad the school board decided to make cuts so that new learning materials could be purchased.

“A lesser board might not have done that,” she said. “But it’s been a long time, and we need to get up to date.

“We need to be the best stewards we can of tax money and protect what we do for kids.”

At the school board meeting June 6:

•Marysville Education Association director Randy Davis challenged the district. He said now that No Child Left Behind has been banished in favor of the Every Student Succeeds Act, the district has an option of using its own rather than state standards. Davis said the state schools office is quickly coming up with a plan, with minimal input from schools. Davis encouraged local districts to jump in to have their voices heard. Otherwise it will look just like another government entity telling them what to do.

•Winners of the Bus Safety Poster contest were announced: Audrey Counsellor, a third-grader at Marshall Elementary, took first place in the older division and had her poster move on to the state competition. Second place was Carol Ruch Brown of Pinewood, and third went to Vanessa Sulog, also of Marshall. Winners in the younger division, all second-graders, were: Kaylee Hamilton of Grove, first; Kaleb Christy of Pinewood, second; and third went to Kayla Trattles, also of Grove. In all, almost 100 posters were turned in.

•Natural Leaders also were recognized: Mereida Areliz, Citlali Reyes, Ana Espinoza, Sopheap Carbajal, Brenda Mendoza, Svetlana Nazarchuck, Karina Perez, Gladys Avila, Elsa Hernandez, Mayra Carretero, Maria Ascencio, Alla Yeremeyev, Sandra Chavez, Adriana de la Torre, Giselle Zapata Garcia, Anastasia Garcia, Lynn Goshnell, Melissa Gobin, Natasha Gobin, Karlene Bill, Zee Jimicum and Sasha Topash.

•Technology director Scott Beebe recommended the board hire MicroK12, a Lynnwood company, to put in projectors districtwide on a per-unit bases. The goal is to do elementary schools this summer and secondary schools next summer.