GUSD has one more meeting to determine cuts
With less than a week to go until definite cuts need to be made and after six hours of public discussion, the school board is not much closer to a plan than they were three weeks ago. And two board members have flatly stated that they will not support cutting the arts and elective programs at all, a cut that would save the district more than a million dollars at the elementary and middle school level.
School board members presided over a packed house Thursday night for a discussion about the cuts to be made to the school budget and the deadline that’s creeping closer. District staff presented a list of cuts and revenue enhancements to the board of trustees, big savers including cutting the band and music program, cutting electives at the middle schools and eliminating physical education at the elementary schools. At Thursday night’s budget study session, the second of three, board members’ reactions to these cuts ran the gamut from exasperation and shock to determination.
A standing-room only crowd of about 150 parents, students and educators spilled into the Gilroy Unified School District board room for a meeting that ran well over schedule and late into the night. Getting a late start after a closed session that ran 30 minutes overtime, the study session was scheduled to run for two hours, ending in time to begin the regular board meeting at 7 p.m. Wishful thinking on the board’s part, the study session ran four hours and 15 minutes, double the allotted time.
Interim Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Hardy Childers opened the discussion with an update of the budget crisis. The school district has $4.4 million in cuts to make and has made progress in suggesting a list of viable, yet controversial, items. But the district still has about $700,000 to go. On top of that, vocal community members are putting pressure on the board not to cut arts and music from the elementary and middle school day. Electives, the band program, art classes, even the opening of Christopher High School were put on the table.
“Four-point-four million is very hard to get your arms around,” Superintendent Deborah Flores said. However, that number was previously $5 million so the blow has been cushioned by $600,000. “I can’t believe I’m calling that a positive – $5 million down to $4.4,” she said, shaking her head.
“I know this sounds dramatic, but the future economic viability of the Gilroy Unified School District is at stake at this point,” Childers said. In the past, grim pictures of the state budget were softened with time but “we aren’t hearing any of the positive news we may have heard in previous years,” Childers said. The governor’s legislative analyst is now projecting a state budget deficit of $16 billion as opposed to the previous projection by the governor’s staff of $14.5 billion.
“Yes, that’s billion with a ‘B’,” Childers said. “But in two, three, five years, California’s economy will turn around. It’s a very vibrant economy. This too shall pass.”
But the good times are over for now and decisions will have to be made next week at the final study session. On March 15, pink slips are due to the teachers who will be let go and that deadline is fast approaching.
Many of those slips will be going to middle school teachers. Principals are looking at two options that will eliminate 11 to 13 full-time teachers. With the proposal to cut a period from the middle school day, the board will have to choose between two options: keep an extra period of math or keep a period for electives. This discussion fueled much of the meeting and had the board, middle school principals and parents playing a tug-of-war – math vs. electives.
The extra period of math was implemented two years ago to boost test scores, but Trustee Denise Apuzzo said she doesn’t know if that extra period is worth it.
“I think the problem runs a little deeper than just doubling up on the math,” she said. “And it seems to me like we’re really penalizing everyone.”
If electives are cut, “this would be the worst slash in music, band and choir Gilroy’s ever seen,” said Tom Brozene, band director at Brownell Middle School.
Brozene’s Gilroy High School counterpart, Joey Fortino, pointed out that instead of having band and music classes before school, extra math classes should be added before or after hours for the kids that need it.
“We need to rephrase the question,” Fortino said. “A parcel tax should be for another period of math, not the arts.”
When the public had a chance to voice their opinion, parent Peder Eriksson stood to speak.
“We need to look at ideas for revenue enhancement but no numbers are attached to these suggestions,” he said, gesturing to the notorious list of cuts and enhancements. While huge numbers are attached to the cuts, the enhancement list was devoid of figures. “If we say that our children are our future, we have to walk the talk. We shouldn’t be looking for scraps from the state. We need to look at other revenue sources.”
Gilroy Teachers Association President Michelle Nelson took her place at the microphone and generated quite a stir. She, too, threw out a few ideas that weren’t on the list.
“Do we really have to adopt the state textbooks every seven years?” she asked. “Heck, I started teaching science without a textbook at all. Javier, how’d I do?” she said turning to Trustee Javier Aguirre to the rumble of laughter.
“To get rid of elementary music and P.E. – bad idea,” she finished with emphasis. Her remark was met with all-around applause.
Board members were on the fence as to which cuts to make. CHS came up several times as a way to save.
“As much as the new school is important, if it means tightening our belt for a year to sustain what we have in very difficult times …” Trustee Jaime Rosso trailed off. “It’ll seem silly having a brand new facility, empty.”
The board threw around ideas about postponing the opening of CHS and putting a parcel tax before voters in the fall, two ideas that several board members strongly supported.
“A parcel tax is a hit in these tough economic times but we can do so much with that money,” Apuzzo said. “We can’t afford to cut our band and music program. We won’t be able to afford to get these teachers back.”
Trustee Pat Midtgaard was hesitant to have an in depth conversation about postponing the CHS opening but pointed out an easy fix to generate revenue.
“Your child sitting in that seat generates $35 a day. You can see how that multiplies,” she said. “People say ‘what can we do to help?’ If your child is healthy, your child should be in school. Those dollars add up.”
After hours of throwing around tentative ideas, Trustees Tom Bundros and Apuzzo finally put their fists down.
“There’s no way I can support cuts in the music program at any level,” Bundros said. “Music is tied very closely with the development of the whole child.”
“I support no cuts of the arts program at GUSD,” Apuzzo agreed. “I support expansion actually. It’s an academic subject.”
But a fed up Francisco Dominguez saw these statements as a step backward and was frustrated with the “lack of progress.” The trustee supported the middle school option giving students who meet the math benchmark the opportunity to take electives.
“I think it’s a balance,” he said. “If we don’t say where we want to go, we’re nowhere further next week. Where do I want to go? Christopher High School. That’s a viable option. If we don’t give direction we’re not moving forward. We can just have another long meeting next week.”
At next week’s study session, the board will have to approve whether to cut the equivalent of 58 full time teacher positions from GUSD’s staff.
