GILROY
– School district officials have laid out the specifics of a
cost-cutting plan that will save $1.67 million for the 2003-04
school year.
GILROY – School district officials have laid out the specifics of a cost-cutting plan that will save $1.67 million for the 2003-04 school year.
The savings is largely due to layoffs of 41 teachers and administrators for next school year.
“All of these cuts have faces. We’re talking about people. That’s the tough part,” school board President Jim Rogers said.
Eleven of the layoffs – roughly $500,000 in cuts – depend on state lawmakers to grant more flexibility in implementing class-size reduction programs. Districts have been lobbying state officials to allow some classrooms to exceed a mandated 20- to-1 student to teacher ratio in kindergarten through third-grade, as long as a school or district average remains 20 to 1 and no classroom exceeds 22 students.
If class-size reduction changes are not approved soon, GUSD will have to find another way to save the half-million dollars.
“At this point it’s looking like class-size reduction won’t change,” said Linda Piceno, GUSD’s assistant superintendent of human resources.
California is saddled with a $35 billion revenue shortfall that is impacting education hard. The $1.67 million in cuts represents part of a $3 million cost reduction plan by GUSD for the period from January 2003 to June 2004.
The reductions, which impact all district schools, will hit Mt. Madonna High School and Community Day School especially hard. Administrative, teaching and clerical positions are being reduced or eliminated at those small-scale secondary schools.
As tough as the cuts may be, they are not unexpected. Discussions on the cost savings measures have been ongoing between staff and trustees since January, although specifics on some items are now being ironed out.
GUSD plans to save $6,000 next year by hiring Community Media Access Partnership, the public access TV station located on the Gavilan College campus, to film its board meetings. GUSD currently contracts with a videographer at $350 per night. CMAP will charge only $50 for every four hours. Board meetings typically run three hours or less.
Another notable cut includes the $119,000 GUSD plans to save by cutting the associate principal’s position at Gilroy High School. Another $80,000 can be saved if trustees sign off on the elimination of the district librarian at the high school.
Trustees will review the most recent budget projections from the state at their June 5 meeting. On June 19, a public hearing and budget adoption is scheduled.
“We’re supposed to have a budget by June 30, and we will,” Rogers said. “But what’s your guess for the state to have their budget ready? It’s so difficult to be going on assumptions.”
