In a situation one trustee candidly stated,
”
there’s going to be pain,
”
school board members must hammer out a final budget plan by
Thursday
– on top of determining layoffs. The enormity of the situation
came to a head during Thursday’s meeting as dozens of speakers
passionately voiced their two cents on what should – and should not
– be cut when GUSD trustees cement a final budget reduction plan
Thursday.
In a situation one trustee candidly stated, “there’s going to be pain,” school board members must hammer out a final budget plan by Thursday – on top of determining layoffs.
During an audience-packed meeting March 3 at Gilroy Unified School District at 7810 Arroyo Circle, trustees faced students pleading for music and physical education classes to be spared.
This was one of many concerns GUSD trustees have grappled with on the rocky road to cutting $2.8 million from the budget, which includes a Gilroy Teacher’s Association unsatisfied with administrative stipends and possible pay decreases, along with elementary teachers asking cuts be spread equally to junior high and high schools.
And despite state-mandated deadlines for fiscal planning, everything is subject to change pending whether temporary tax extensions will pass in a June election.
The enormity of the situation came to a head during Thursday’s meeting as dozens of speakers passionately voiced their two cents on what should – and should not – be cut when GUSD trustees cement a final budget reduction plan Thursday.
With the current climate looking like every last minute will be utilized to deliberate hard choices, GUSD Superintendent Deborah Flores reminded administrators must adhere to a statutory March 15 deadline to announce layoff notices; a variable that’s placed a nagging time crunch on negotiations and decision-making.
For now, the spotlight is shining on two pages of budget recommendations.
One represents $2.8 million in necessary cuts if temporary tax extensions pass in a special June election. The proposed cuts on this first page exceed that target.
The second page lists a daunting $6.7 million in cuts; the sum that must be slashed if temporary tax extensions fail to pass.
Controversial items on the second page include across-the-board salary cuts, class size increases and the possible elimination of elementary music and P.E. programs.
Gamut of input
The March 3 meeting saw a range of voices, including students who read from hand-written letters pleading against the elimination of what many described as their “favorite classes.”
“Elementary kids need P.E.,” said a small girl as she addressed the audience with microphone in hand. “Half of the high schoolers do not like P.E.”
The room erupted in laughter, followed by applause.
“He keeps us from being fat,” said a young student in defense of Pat Vickroy, a P.E. teacher at four GUSD elementary schools who has led the local charge to improve student health. “You should keep P.E. for everybody, because we all like it.”
GTA President Michelle Nelson asked trustees to consider cutting more at the top, so that everyone, including the district office and administrators, “share the pain equally.”
Several elementary teachers implored cuts be spread fairly to the secondary levels.
“At least look at equity through middle schools and high schools,” said Babs Holiday, a second grade teacher at Eliot Elementary School.
She also brought up Gilroy Prep School, the brand new charter set to open in August.
“Right now, it’s a bleed; $600,000 is going out with six teachers,” she said. “Good idea, wrong time.”
Another younger teacher gave her opinion on the proposal to freeze step, column and longevity raises for all staff – a system that is based on career longevity with the district, as well as the acquiring of advanced degrees.
“Freezing step is more reasonable than freezing the column,” she said. “Teachers who have spent their own time and money to improve professionally should not be punished. I worry I’ll be making less than I did when I started my masters program. I ask that administrators also forgo their academic and mileage stipends, at least until this crisis ends.”
Cell phones and mileage
Trustee Tom Bundros noted administrative cell phones have been a recurring topic. He pointed out GUSD’s cell phone package for management is designated as part of a safety program, and “would save all of $6,000” if cut.
He also reminded every employee in the district is eligible for mileage.
Bundros explained if the district required each management employee to manually record every work-related trip made throughout the day, GUSD would have to hire more staff at the clerical level just to process it.
He said the district has studied it, and “for the most part,” stipends are being hit or exceeded.
Nelson, who touched on this subject in a Feb. 28 e-mail, explained teachers must log their mileage, where as administrators “receive a flat car allowance and no accounting required or even requested.”
In a March 4 e-mail, Nelson said administrative car allowances for this year amounted to $88,000.
“That’s two teachers,” she wrote.
Nelson said nonmanagement employees are also required to turn in a Google map with their mileage claims to prove how many miles they’ve traveled.
Furlough Days vs. Across-the-board salary reductions
At the end of public comment portion of the March 3 meeting, GUSD Board President Rhoda Bress reminded the audience a number of hot items on the second page of proposed cuts constitute the “worst case” scenario.
“The worse case scenario will only come to pass if voters fail to (pass) the governors proposal,” added trustee Jaime Rosso. “That’s the essence of what we’re talking here.”
Trustees Mark Good and Tom Bundros firmly stated they were not in favor of cutting elementary music and P.E. programs, but as Rosso reminded, where one thing is spared, something else must be cut.
“I agree with most of the speakers that came up tonight,” said Bundros, maintaining he would not support increased class sizes, the elimination of P.E. and music programs or the implementation of more furlough days. “I have heard comments about equity, but when you add all those things together, the only thing that fits is across-the board-salary cuts.”
In place of that, he said, something has to backfill it.
“I’m going to support across-the-board salary reductions because it actually keeps in place those things that I believe I was voted into this position to protect,” he said.
He was echoed by trustee Fred Tovar, who was not in favor of class size increases but said he would support salary cuts. Trustee Dom Payne added class-size increases was a no-go for him as well.
Gauging from responses coming back from a live-feed emergency survey sent out March 5 by the Gilroy Teacher’s Association, across-the-board salary cuts are not the favored option.
As of 10:14 a.m. Monday morning, out of 378 survey participants, 365 said they would prefer to accept additional furlough days.
Thirteen said they would prefer to accept across-the-board salary cuts.
Good news
Amid evident dichotomy, one program was spared.
AdvancePath Academics, Inc., an alternative education institution for students struggling in normal comprehensive high schools, is no longer on the chopping block thanks to some “serious house cleaning,” as Jennifer Del Bono, Mt. Madonna High School principal, put it.
The contract for AdvancePath, which operates out of a portable classroom on the Gilroy High School Campus, has been renewed for another two years.
Kirsten Perez, director of Fiscal Services for GUSD, also announced roughly $500,000 in reallocated federal stimulus funds that did not get used in the 2008-09 fiscal year will be redistributed back to schools within the district.
“It was not until presidents’ week that the district received notification that it had been awarded $464,750 in State Fiscal Stabilization Funds,” she explained Monday in an e-mail.
As for this week’s timeline, Flores explained the board must to take final action on undecided items, including reduction in force resolution – determining layoffs – by Thursday.
“I can support the idea of letting the negotiations go forward and try to hammer out a more satisfactory resolution,” said Bundros, agreeing with Bress it will take more time to “digest” everything that had been discussed.
“There’s going to be pain,” said Rosso. “Everybody is concerned about equity and fairness in what is being recommended. We’re investigating those things, and trying to find ways to make it fair.”
Update as of 8:41 a.m., Tuesday, March 8
The current tally as of Monday morning according to the survey shows out of 459 survey takers, 444 would prefer additional furlough days and 15 would prefer across-the-board salary cuts.
GUSD’s revised proposal was posted on the district website, 5 p.m. Monday, according to Flores.
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