As Gilroy Unified School District’s board of trustees batten the
hatches against state cuts threatening to deduct millions of
dollars from their $50 million budget, administrators are opening
the lines of communication and partnering up with city allies.
As Gilroy Unified School District’s board of trustees batten the hatches against state cuts threatening to deduct millions of dollars from their $50 million budget, administrators are opening the lines of communication and partnering up with city allies.
A special joint meeting was held Monday night at the Gilroy Police Department at 7301 Hanna St., where the Gilroy City Council and GUSD swapped updates and brought each other up to speed on issues spanning the two groups’ areas of responsibility.
A number of topics were visited but the fiscal crisis casting a shadow over Gilroy’s schools was a conversation forerunner. Significant action emerging from the meeting should see a joint resolution drafted by Council and GUSD, which will hopefully bolster Gilroy’s presence and weigh-in at the state level.
GUSD Superintendent Debbie Flores gave Council members a brief synopsis of the situation, explaining in the past month district staff has been preparing to make either $2.8 or $6.7 million in cuts.
Now, with the cessation of temporary tax extensions – the possible continuation of which has failed to make it to the ballot in a special June election – Gilroy school administrators could be looking at $10 million in cuts.
“We’ve lost 20 percent of our revenue in a five-year period,” she said. “We’ll need to cut possibly another four to five million. That’s a phenomenal amount of money. We’re faced with the worst budget crisis we’ve ever been faced with.”
The crisis is not for the school board staff alone, trustee Jaime Rosso added. It’s something that needs involvement and engagement from elected city leaders and business leaders who need to speak with a common voice of what’s important for the community.
“People are going to scream bloody murder once we start cutting all the sports programs, music and 30 more days of school time,” he said.
Rosso pointed out the well being of Gilroy’s schools is a factor that ultimately permeates through to the entire city, affecting the business community and property values. GUSD needs the Council to be a part of the solution, he said.
“People aren’t going to want to move to a place where they can’t get a quality education for their children,” added trustee Dom Payne.
He stated the district cannot absorb the burden any longer; school administrators are at the point of cutting off a limb, he said.
At this point, it’s just a matter of deciding “which arm it is.”
Trustee Mark Good observed trustees are aware the city has its own issues. School administrators aren’t expecting a check, but they need support at the state level in terms of getting through to Sacramento lawmakers, he said.
“There’s no question the city gets it,” said Mayor Al Pinheiro.
The Council will focus on getting involved to best of their abilities, he said.
“That’s kind of where our Council can come from,” said Pinheiro. “Let us know what it is we can do to participate.”
Rosso replied trustees are looking for engagement from elected city leaders in particular who can help focus the energy toward communicating with representatives at the state level, something Councilman Dion Bracco said could take driving up to the senator’s offices and camping out.
“When you’re in their face, it’s a little different,” he pointed out.
GUSD board president Rhoda Bress took care to note although a bleak budget outlook continues to cast a perpetual cloud over education’s stormy horizon, hard work put out by student and staff continues to shine.
“We are consumed by the budget, but life goes on,” she said.
Bress elaborated on Project Lead the Way, a new biomedical science academy recently approved by school board members. The elite program was initiated by Gilroy High School Principal Marco Sanchez and will kick off next year.
According to GUSD Project Lead the Way will “partner with public schools, higher education institutions and the private sector to grow the nation’s technology workforce. PLTW students learn real world skills, which include conducting research, problem solving, analyzing information, working in teams and time management.”
Rosso also noted Eliot Elementary School continues to set a model for success in the district with a stellar Academic Performing Index.
The two groups continued to touch base on a various range of projects and developments. This included a plan to strengthen communication and work in conjunction on a joint emergency operations system, updates on the new city library and Christopher High School swimming pool construction progress, the high speed rail project, the status of renovations at Rucker and Rod Kelley Elementary Schools and the Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy and the opening of Gilroy Prep School.
