diff --git a/ray_beam_runner/portability/context_management.py b/ray_beam_runner/portability/context_management.py
index 5b12f46..e368849 100644
--- a/ray_beam_runner/portability/context_management.py
+++ b/ray_beam_runner/portability/context_management.py
@@ -33,11 +33,8 @@
 from apache_beam.runners.worker import bundle_processor
 from apache_beam.utils import proto_utils
 
-import ray
 from ray_beam_runner.portability.execution import RayRunnerExecutionContext
 
-ENCODED_IMPULSE_REFERENCE = ray.put([fn_execution.ENCODED_IMPULSE_VALUE])
-
 
 class RayBundleContextManager:
     def __init__(
@@ -155,7 +152,7 @@ def setup(self):
                     if pcoll_id == translations.IMPULSE_BUFFER:
                         pcoll_id = transform.unique_name.encode("utf8")
                         self.execution_context.pcollection_buffers.put.remote(
-                            pcoll_id, [ENCODED_IMPULSE_REFERENCE]
+                            pcoll_id, [self.execution_context.encoded_impulse_ref]
                         )
                     else:
                         pass
diff --git a/ray_beam_runner/portability/execution.py b/ray_beam_runner/portability/execution.py
index 4c01277..e03b4ab 100644
--- a/ray_beam_runner/portability/execution.py
+++ b/ray_beam_runner/portability/execution.py
@@ -421,6 +421,7 @@ def __init__(
         self._uid = 0
         self.worker_manager = worker_manager or RayWorkerHandlerManager()
         self.timer_coder_ids = self._build_timer_coders_id_map()
+        self.encoded_impulse_ref = ray.put([fn_execution.ENCODED_IMPULSE_VALUE])
 
     @property
     def watermark_manager(self):
diff --git a/ray_beam_runner/portability/ray_runner_test.py b/ray_beam_runner/portability/ray_runner_test.py
index 41a90dd..ff359cb 100644
--- a/ray_beam_runner/portability/ray_runner_test.py
+++ b/ray_beam_runner/portability/ray_runner_test.py
@@ -94,10 +94,12 @@ def contains_labels(mi, labels):
 
 
 class RayFnApiRunnerTest(unittest.TestCase):
-    @classmethod
-    def setUpClass(cls) -> None:
+    def setUp(self) -> None:
         if not ray.is_initialized():
-            ray.init()
+            ray.init(num_cpus=1, include_dashboard=False)
+
+    def tearDown(self) -> None:
+        ray.shutdown()
 
     def create_pipeline(self, is_drain=False):
         return beam.Pipeline(
@@ -1210,10 +1212,12 @@ def test_pack_combiners(self):
 # the sampling counter.
 @unittest.skip("Metrics not yet supported.")
 class RayRunnerMetricsTest(unittest.TestCase):
-    @classmethod
-    def setUpClass(cls) -> None:
+    def setUp(self) -> None:
         if not ray.is_initialized():
-            ray.init()
+            ray.init(num_cpus=1, include_dashboard=False)
+
+    def tearDown(self) -> None:
+        ray.shutdown()
 
     def assert_has_counter(self, mon_infos, urn, labels, value=None, ge_value=None):
         found = 0
@@ -1631,10 +1635,12 @@ def has_mi_for_ptransform(mon_infos, ptransform):
 
 @unittest.skip("Runner-initiated splitting not yet supported")
 class RayRunnerSplitTest(unittest.TestCase):
-    @classmethod
-    def setUpClass(cls) -> None:
+    def setUp(self) -> None:
         if not ray.is_initialized():
-            ray.init()
+            ray.init(num_cpus=1, include_dashboard=False)
+
+    def tearDown(self) -> None:
+        ray.shutdown()
 
     def create_pipeline(self, is_drain=False):
         return beam.Pipeline(
@@ -2073,8 +2079,6 @@ def process(self, element, *side_inputs):
         yield self._name
 
 
-logging.getLogger().setLevel(logging.INFO)
-
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     logging.getLogger().setLevel(logging.INFO)
     unittest.main()