The possibility of lost funds from the state have forced the
school district to consider $17.5 million in cuts, leaving staff
and trustees with a $9 million question mark for the 2010-11 fiscal
year. This means that teachers could have three fewer days of work
each year, that parents could have to pay for busing and that
staffing at the district office could be slimmed down.
The possibility of lost funds from the state have forced the school district to consider $17.5 million in cuts, leaving staff and trustees with a $9 million question mark for the 2010-11 fiscal year. This means that teachers could have three fewer days of work each year, that parents could have to pay for busing and that staffing at the district office could be slimmed down.
While lawmakers waffle about a solid solution to the $42 billion state budget gap, the most recent proposal includes $15 billion in cuts to education, health services and other state programs – which translates to about $17.5 million in lost funds for the Gilroy Unified School District over the next three years.
At a recent school board study session, district staff tentatively identified ways to save about half that amount through budget cuts. However, the column under the 2010-11 fiscal year, where $9 million worth of cuts needs to be, was conspicuously blank.
“Having to balance that $9 million deficit would have been the best fiction I’ve ever written,” said Enrique Palacios, deputy superintendent of business services. He said he can’t attempt to address the third year’s shortfall until the state votes on a budget.
And until the plan to close the state budget gap is finalized, local school districts are relying on guesswork and intuition to balance their budgets.
“What’s worse than the possibility of having to slash $17.5 million from the district’s budget over the next three years is the indecision,” Palacios said.
Lawmakers expect to vote on a revised budget by week’s end.
At the district level, the cuts would have been worse had the district not eliminated $4.5 from its budget last spring and tucked away a little more than $2 million on top of a mandated 3 percent reserve. This will cushion the first round of cuts.
Unspent categorical money from teachers who were told to tighten their belts will contribute the bulk of the money this fiscal year – nearly $2 million. The district can save an additional $500,000 by leaving unfilled the assistant superintendent of human resources position – which was vacated last year when Michael Lyons resigned – reducing the cost of transportation and special education services, using funds from Measure P, food services, deferred maintenance and capital facilities to subsidize business services staffing.
Next year, similar cuts plus additional downsizing at the district office, tacking fees onto busing based on socioeconomic status and eliminating three teacher work days are up for consideration. The district’s current proposal calls for $250,000 in revenue generated from transportation fees. With a ridership of 1,200, the average bus rider would have to pay about $250 annually.
But Gilroy Teacher Association President Michelle Nelson said the three day reduction “is not a done deal at all.”
Currently in contract negotiations with the district, Nelson said the topic of salary increases hasn’t even been broached, though it is always on the table. Other than previously negotiated and automatic step-and-column pay increases, there were no raises for Gilroy teachers this year.
Nearly 82 percent of the district’s $84 million general fund budget pays for salaries and benefits.
An informal poll of teachers indicated some were willing to concede a three day reduction if the district could guarantee that layoffs were off limits, Nelson said. But other teachers said they were unwilling to give up three days since Gilroy educators are some of the lowest paid in the county and the district continues to spend money on nonemergency programs.
The district considered eliminating class size reduction – a state funded program that gives districts an additional $1,071 per student enrolled in a class of 20 or fewer pupils – which could free up 33 classrooms if the student to teacher ratio was bumped from 20:1 to 25:1 and would surely result in layoffs. But it did not include the possible revenue saved in its list of cuts, despite the fact that the governor has given districts the option of eliminating the program while keeping the state funds they would have normally received – $3.6 million in Gilroy’s case plus an extra $2 million in saved teacher salaries.
But the district’s stance is that class size reduction is too valuable a program to scrap in tough budget times.
“To clarify, we don’t want to eliminate class size reduction but we’re being forced to at least look at the option,” Superintendent Deborah Flores said.
Another proposal would allow districts the flexibility of reducing the school year by five days – an option also not included in Gilroy’s list of cuts.
“We’re trying to preserve the quality of programs in our schools,” Palacios said.
At a recent round table of with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, Flores said the mood was so somber, the meeting felt like a funeral and educators were fighting back tears.
“We’re at a new place in our history,” she added. “This is a very serious time for public education. But we’re going to do our job, make the cuts and continue to provide. We can’t let this generation of children be shortchanged.”
2008-09 target: $3 million
-$2 million carryover from last year’s cuts
-$1.9 million from flexibility with categorical funds
-$200,000 reduction in costs to transportation and special education
-$200,000 adult education fund ending balance
-$270,000 other cuts
2009-10 target: $5.2 million
-$1.6 million carryover from previous year’s cuts
-$2 million from flexibility with categorical funds
-$600,000 reducing teacher year by three days
-$400,000 transportation fees and cost reductions
-$640,000 district office downsizing
-$200,000 other cuts
2010-11 target: $9 million
-$200,000 carryover from previous year’s cuts
