If Californians truly believe that the state’s current and
future economic vitality depends on a well-educated workforce, then
today is the day to let Gov. Schwarzenegger and our elected state
representatives know that the draconian cuts to school districts in
the proposed state budget are unacceptable.
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If Californians truly believe that the state’s current and future economic vitality depends on a well-educated workforce, then today is the day to let Gov. Schwarzenegger and our elected state representatives know that the draconian cuts to school districts in the proposed state budget are unacceptable. 
If the vision of public school education is to provide rich and rigorous academic opportunities that enable all students in our diverse population to reach their fullest academic potential, then the topic of conversation should not be the “spending problem” identified by the governor but rather the lack of priorities in his budget proposal. Education should be a higher priority. California is currently in the bottom five in the nation with respect to per-pupil spending. The state’s school finance system is irrational and convoluted, which makes strategic financial planning a huge challenge. No private sector business would be able to submit a balanced budget with adequate reserves and plan for staffing and program needs without knowing how much money it has to spend. However, this is what is required of California school districts. 
Governing boards have very little say in how much of its money is spent. Money that is allocated to local schools from the state usually comes with strings attached and very little consideration on how it integrates with overall district needs. Then, if programs tied to these funds don’t result in student achievement as anticipated, the schools are blamed.
For the 2007-08 school year, the Gilroy Unified School District received about $58 million in unrestricted funds to pay for day-to-day expenses: salaries, maintenance, books, supplies, utilities, and all the operations needed to keep our schools safe and functioning.  Based on the governor’s proposed budget for next year, $4.5 million of that must be cut. 
So now valuable staff time, time that should be used to improve student achievement in our classrooms, is being used instead to come up with a plan for budget cuts and revenue enhancements. We don’t have a choice, so school board members are working hard on the limited options in order to fulfill their fiduciary responsibility by adopting a budget that will receive positive state certification. Of course, in a budget of millions, some savings can be found. Also, programs not achieving results need to be discontinued. However, there is a big difference between thinning the fruit and chopping down the tree.
A cut of $4.5 million will have dire consequences. Excellence in public school education cannot be achieved by money alone, but the lack of money for essential services creates additional problems. For example, there is already a shortage of qualified teachers especially in the areas of math, science, and special education, and the problem is expected to increase. Many motivated and talented people who would like to become educators are choosing other careers for financial reasons and will continue to do so if action is not taken to reverse the trend. If we value education, then we must value the educators and invest in them. 
Parents can help by ensuring that their students do not miss school unnecessarily. Schedule family vacations, routine medical appointments, and activities that are not time sensitive outside of the academic day. The academic year is only 180 days, and lost instructional time not only impacts student learning but also the amount of funds received from Average Daily Attendance, the largest source of funding from the state. With the current attendance rate in GUSD at about 94 percent, there is room for improvement. Every one percent increase in attendance results in an additional $600,000 of revenue. 
We also have to let Sacramento know how we feel. As evident in the outpouring of communication received from the public and the standing-room-only crowds at recent board meetings, there is a tremendous amount of energy in this community regarding education. This energy now needs to be focused on the legislators who can make a difference.
In May, the governor will be issuing a revised state budget. Now is the time to contact him and our elected representatives about the impact of the funding cuts; they are the ones who have the power to set state priorities and restructure public school funding. And we must insist they do it.
Making contact:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone:  916-445-2841; Fax: 916-558-3160
