Blue Valley is cutting more than $16 million between this year and next year to save its budget — from the discontinuance of the Chinese Immersion Program, to cuts across performing arts and even the suspension of several middle school athletic programs.

The reductions are hard, but necessary, the district says, as it faces the chronic underfunding of special education by the state. Last year, Blue Valley transferred $18.9 million from other resources to cover that gap.

“Our philosophy so far has been to reduce and not eliminate wherever possible,” said Superintendent Gillian Chapman.

Meanwhile, Blue Valley and three other Johnson County school districts have banded together to pursue action against the state for the underfunding of special education.

Blue Valley’s recently announced cuts include performing arts support roles, which 2025 Blue Valley Northwest graduate Ruby Ricker said she’s concerned about — particularly the accompanist role, which plays music, often a piano, to accompany a performance, eases the multi-tasking burden on teachers, allowing them to better focus on their students.

“I have a lot of different perspectives — a vocalist perspective, an orchestra student perspective and a future teacher perspective,” Ricker said, emphasizing that the cuts aren’t good regardless of the lens she looks through. “For [vocalist perspective], cutting the accompanist is huge.

“I did an independent study with Mrs. [Beth] Richey (BV Northwest’s choir teacher) in the choir program my senior year with the freshman girls,” she added. “If I did not have an accompanist, I don’t think I would have been able to teach as successfully as I was because I don’t have any piano experience.”

Ricker, who still has a brother in Blue Valley, is now a music education student at Michigan State University.

What’s getting cut?

Cuts started last year at the district level, with more than $6 million in reductions — they eliminated deputy superintendent positions, along with other district leadership and support positions. Administrators also did not receive a salary increase for this year.

Cuts continue this year, though many won’t kick in until the 2027-28 school year. Reductions include:

• administrative positions,
• coaching staff and performing arts support roles, like accompanists, at the high school level,
• out-of-area travel opportunities,
• wrestling, cross country and drill/dance teams at the middle school level,
• district support for Parents as Teachers,
• the discontinuance of the Chinese Immersion Program, though Mandarin classes will still offered at the high school level, so long as it meets minimum enrollment requirements,
• the regular review of world languages to ensure they’re meeting minimum enrollment requirements, which is typically 18 students,
• staffing adjustments to the high school gifted education programs and to the library media teams,
• and changes to some work calendars and contract days, along with changes to benefit eligibility for classified employees and administrators working fewer than 30 hours per week.

Blue Valley isn’t the only district facing these budget challenges. Olathe is set to close six schools at the end of the school year, Shawnee Mission considered closing a school earlier this year, and even De Soto USD 232 is also looking to make cuts where it can amid an enrollment shortage.

“We don’t have any buildings that would benefit us by closing,” Chapman said. “It just doesn’t make sense for Blue Valley. This whole entire process is a little bit unusual in that we are trying to get to a $10 million number, and we can’t do it by closing a single building. One single brushstroke is not going to take care of the necessary reductions.

“Instead,” she continued, “we’re having to basically whittle away, nickel and dime, programs and opportunities for students that add up to a $10 million reduction.”

From affected families

Families have told the Post they understand the financial restrictions the district is working under; however, many said they just want a chance to work with the district to find other solutions.

More than 450 students across the elementary and middle school level are enrolled in Blue Valley’s Chinese Immersion Program, including Guiyuan Wang’s two children.

“We still feel very lucky that this district has this amazing program,” Wang said during an Oct. 21 protest against the program’s closure. “This is very different from any other language program. It’s their identity.”

Wang and her family moved from Louisiana so her son, now in sixth grade at Wolf Springs, could have a chance at the program — and they’re not the only family to make such a big move.

“We want to ask the district to please give us a chance to work with them,” Wang said. “We understand this is a very dire situation, and we are not asking to be special. We know there are fires everywhere and [there is] a much bigger picture. We are simply asking to please let us find creative ways to support ourselves financially.

“We love this district,” she added. “We would love to keep the kids in the community.”

Stricker’s mom, Kristen Kirlew, who has another student at BV Northwest, said the cuts hit close to home. It’s clear to them, she said, how the cuts will affect the programs.

“[These cuts] just really hit the programs that are close to us,” Kirlew said. “We know what effect that’s going to have on the directors, they’re going to be spread really thin. Blue Valley Northwest performing arts programs are incredibly successful.”

What’s next?

For Ricker, the cuts to the music program feel more extensive than any of the other cuts. She worries the workload on teachers will burden the teachers more than they already are, though she understands the budgetary restrictions.

“I would like to see more fairness in the budget cuts and to retract the cut, at least, of the accompanist,” Ricker said, emphasizing the value for both teachers and students in having an accompanist.

Students, including Ricker’s brother and Kirlew’s son, Wyatt Ricker, are planning to protest at 6 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Blue Valley District Office, during the district’s next board of education meeting.