On behalf of the MB Cluster, I have sent a letter of appreciation to the five Trustees on the Board of Education as well as Mr. Phil Stover, Deputy Superintendent of Business at SDUSD. The intent of these letters was to express our gratitude regarding the recent decision to support MBHS and PBMS in their current configuration.
Jennifer Tandy and I reviewed these letters prior to issuing them to each BoE member and Mr. Stover. I hope you support the letters I sent in detail and spirit.
MB Cluster Thanks You - P Stover
MB Cluster Thanks You - S Barnett
Friday, December 16, 2011
Roster of Committee Members (Sept, 2011)
Hi,
It has come to my attention that we have a representative structure, but have not widely communicated the names of the Committee Members which represent the community and vote at MB Cluster Committee meetings. These names should be available to all so everyone can have an equal voice.
Please be advised that this is the most recent Roster that I have today. The Rosters from more recent meetings have been recorded by Amy Monroe.
Also be advised that the MB Cluster Committee does not select Committee Members. Committee Members are selected by each of our six sites under the supervision of the Principal at each site. Committee membership has been fluid and not necessarily consistent at each meeting. Please contact the Principal of any of our sites for a list of current Committee Members.
The document below is fine print. Download a copy to your computer by clicking on the word "Roster" below. You will then be redirected to www.scribd.com. You should find a button on the right-hand side of the document labelled "Download". You may then save a copy on your computer and read it in a more legible fashion.
Roster
It has come to my attention that we have a representative structure, but have not widely communicated the names of the Committee Members which represent the community and vote at MB Cluster Committee meetings. These names should be available to all so everyone can have an equal voice.
Please be advised that this is the most recent Roster that I have today. The Rosters from more recent meetings have been recorded by Amy Monroe.
Also be advised that the MB Cluster Committee does not select Committee Members. Committee Members are selected by each of our six sites under the supervision of the Principal at each site. Committee membership has been fluid and not necessarily consistent at each meeting. Please contact the Principal of any of our sites for a list of current Committee Members.
The document below is fine print. Download a copy to your computer by clicking on the word "Roster" below. You will then be redirected to www.scribd.com. You should find a button on the right-hand side of the document labelled "Download". You may then save a copy on your computer and read it in a more legible fashion.
Roster
UT Article - Dec 16 - Healthcare Cost Reduction at SDUSD
Labor unions and the BoE are considering reducing benefits for employees to save money. Some benefits for current employees seem to exceed the benefits of similar employees in other districts and other public sector jobs.
With labor officials at his side, Evans said employee groups are stepping up to help the San Diego Unified School District solve its fiscal problems.
“We are looking to emphasize the ‘unified’ in our name.” Evans said. “No whining, no excuses, we’re all going to find solutions.”
Unions have signed off on what he said could be the first of many agreements that could help save the district money. The initiative would give certain employees $900 if they agree to downgrade to a less-expensive health insurance plan for at least three years.
The plan will go to the board next month for approval and would be available to nearly 1,400 employees — about 10 percent of the district’s workforce — who currently subscribe to the most expensive health insurance plans — either a PPO or top-tier HMO plans. To save $2 million annually, at least half of the eligible employees would have to volunteer for the incentive.
Union leaders said they would do their part to share the district’s financial burden. But they stopped short of discussing salary adjustments, furlough days or other major concessions.
“We are committed to working with the district to try and find ways to save money because it helps kids,” said Ethel Larkins, who represents bus drivers and other nonteaching employees.
Unlike other districts and public agencies, San Diego Unified employees and their dependents get health care with no premiums. Trustee Scott Barnett, who was elected vice president of the board this week, has called for employee contributions to health care premiums, except for those covered by Kaiser. Unions have not commented on that plan that would save the district about $12 million annually.
The district dodged tough midyear budget cuts to its $1.057 operating budget with the release of rosier-than-expected state fiscal projections earlier this week. San Diego Unified will cut $7 to $8 million from this year’s budget by Feb. 1 — not the $30 million it feared. But the district still faces a deficit of about $73 million next year.
San Diego Unified has two ways to offset next year’s budget gap, Evans said: Layoffs or employee concessions.
The teachers union was the only district labor group not represented at Evans’ event. The San Diego Education Association signed off on the health care incentive but has balked at discussing major concessions the district has been pushing for months until there’s more solid information about the state’s finances for the coming year.
Superintendent Bill Kowba commended Thursday’s gathering of district and union officials.
“This is not just a symbolic, but genuine and fully engaged gathering of the team,” Kowba said.
Evans also reached out to the private sector, issuing “an open letter to San Diego business leaders” offering to “press the reset button on the relationship between the San Diego business community and our public schools.”
“We all have a mutual interest in strong San Diego schools that are so critical to develop a thriving San Diego economy,” the letter states.
Evans was unanimously elected president of the board on Tuesday by trustees. Although it is a largely ceremonial post, the president has historically served as the official spokesperson for the board. The president is also charged with setting school board agendas and maintaining order during public meetings.
New SD school board leader announces health care pact
Evans says agreement is sign of growing unions-district collaboration
Maureen MageeKicking off his term as president of the San Diego city school board Thursday, John Lee Evans promised new collaboration with unions and announced a health care initiative that could save the district $2 million a year.
John Lee Evans
“We are looking to emphasize the ‘unified’ in our name.” Evans said. “No whining, no excuses, we’re all going to find solutions.”
Unions have signed off on what he said could be the first of many agreements that could help save the district money. The initiative would give certain employees $900 if they agree to downgrade to a less-expensive health insurance plan for at least three years.
The plan will go to the board next month for approval and would be available to nearly 1,400 employees — about 10 percent of the district’s workforce — who currently subscribe to the most expensive health insurance plans — either a PPO or top-tier HMO plans. To save $2 million annually, at least half of the eligible employees would have to volunteer for the incentive.
Union leaders said they would do their part to share the district’s financial burden. But they stopped short of discussing salary adjustments, furlough days or other major concessions.
“We are committed to working with the district to try and find ways to save money because it helps kids,” said Ethel Larkins, who represents bus drivers and other nonteaching employees.
Unlike other districts and public agencies, San Diego Unified employees and their dependents get health care with no premiums. Trustee Scott Barnett, who was elected vice president of the board this week, has called for employee contributions to health care premiums, except for those covered by Kaiser. Unions have not commented on that plan that would save the district about $12 million annually.
The district dodged tough midyear budget cuts to its $1.057 operating budget with the release of rosier-than-expected state fiscal projections earlier this week. San Diego Unified will cut $7 to $8 million from this year’s budget by Feb. 1 — not the $30 million it feared. But the district still faces a deficit of about $73 million next year.
San Diego Unified has two ways to offset next year’s budget gap, Evans said: Layoffs or employee concessions.
The teachers union was the only district labor group not represented at Evans’ event. The San Diego Education Association signed off on the health care incentive but has balked at discussing major concessions the district has been pushing for months until there’s more solid information about the state’s finances for the coming year.
Superintendent Bill Kowba commended Thursday’s gathering of district and union officials.
“This is not just a symbolic, but genuine and fully engaged gathering of the team,” Kowba said.
Evans also reached out to the private sector, issuing “an open letter to San Diego business leaders” offering to “press the reset button on the relationship between the San Diego business community and our public schools.”
“We all have a mutual interest in strong San Diego schools that are so critical to develop a thriving San Diego economy,” the letter states.
Evans was unanimously elected president of the board on Tuesday by trustees. Although it is a largely ceremonial post, the president has historically served as the official spokesperson for the board. The president is also charged with setting school board agendas and maintaining order during public meetings.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
VOSD - City Schools Still Face Big Deficit
There seems to be a lot of information regarding the state of the budget for next year. The budget reduction for SDUSD seems to be less than the original $100M discussed earlier this year and closer to $60 - $75M
When the news came in this morning in that Gov. Jerry Brown would be making far smaller cuts to state education funding than previously expected, there were grins all round at a school board workshop at the San Diego Unified School District's headquarters.
But Ron Little, the district's CFO, wasn't smiling.
Reached after the workshop for a scrambled 30-second interview in the corridor, Little confirmed that the district must still cut at least $60 million from its budget next year. A district spokesman later upped that estimate to $73 million.
And there's the rub.
That state's cuts are considerably smaller than they could have been gives the district some breathing room, but all the move really does is turn what was a huge problem into a really big problem.
Superintendent Bill Kowba had presented the midyear cuts as the tipping point towards insolvency for the district. With huge cuts, the district could likely have been forced into insolvency, he told the school board last month. Without them, the district can survive.
But survival is relative. In this case, the district must still cut that $73 million out of its budget in order to survive through next year. That's an awful lot of money, and there are basically only three places the bulk of it can come from: More revenue from the state, concessions from employees or layoffs.
The governor has proposed a tax hike that could send more money to schools, but he's run into problems getting the two-thirds majority vote in the Legislature to get it on the ballot.
Then there are concessions. A big part of the school district's deficit next year is a double-whammy of promised employee pay increases and the expiration of five unpaid days off that will cost the district about $26 million next year.
With the vanishing specter of the midyear cuts, attention may now begin to focus squarely on whether the unions will be willing to renegotiate that deal. Without such renegotiation, the district could have no choice but to resort to layoffs.
By Thursday, the district has to send a preliminary version of next year's budget to the County Office of Education, which acts as a financial overseer of local school districts. That document must spell out what cuts the district will make to balance its budget.
Because the unions haven't agreed to reopen their contracts, the district can't include savings from possible concessions in that document. Instead, it must detail how many people will be laid off to balance the budget.
The school board plans to vote on that document, called a "first interim report," tonight. In its current form, the report calls cutting up to 700 employees, including teachers and campus police officers.
Little is currently scrambling to see if he can rewrite the report in the light of today's news from Sacramento.
Will Carless is an investigative reporter at voiceofsandiego.org. You can reach him at will.carless@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5670.
City Schools Still Face Big Deficit
Posted: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 4:34 pm | Updated: 7:29 am, Wed Dec 14, 2011.
When the news came in this morning in that Gov. Jerry Brown would be making far smaller cuts to state education funding than previously expected, there were grins all round at a school board workshop at the San Diego Unified School District's headquarters.
But Ron Little, the district's CFO, wasn't smiling.
Reached after the workshop for a scrambled 30-second interview in the corridor, Little confirmed that the district must still cut at least $60 million from its budget next year. A district spokesman later upped that estimate to $73 million.
And there's the rub.
That state's cuts are considerably smaller than they could have been gives the district some breathing room, but all the move really does is turn what was a huge problem into a really big problem.
Superintendent Bill Kowba had presented the midyear cuts as the tipping point towards insolvency for the district. With huge cuts, the district could likely have been forced into insolvency, he told the school board last month. Without them, the district can survive.
But survival is relative. In this case, the district must still cut that $73 million out of its budget in order to survive through next year. That's an awful lot of money, and there are basically only three places the bulk of it can come from: More revenue from the state, concessions from employees or layoffs.
The governor has proposed a tax hike that could send more money to schools, but he's run into problems getting the two-thirds majority vote in the Legislature to get it on the ballot.
Then there are concessions. A big part of the school district's deficit next year is a double-whammy of promised employee pay increases and the expiration of five unpaid days off that will cost the district about $26 million next year.
With the vanishing specter of the midyear cuts, attention may now begin to focus squarely on whether the unions will be willing to renegotiate that deal. Without such renegotiation, the district could have no choice but to resort to layoffs.
By Thursday, the district has to send a preliminary version of next year's budget to the County Office of Education, which acts as a financial overseer of local school districts. That document must spell out what cuts the district will make to balance its budget.
Because the unions haven't agreed to reopen their contracts, the district can't include savings from possible concessions in that document. Instead, it must detail how many people will be laid off to balance the budget.
The school board plans to vote on that document, called a "first interim report," tonight. In its current form, the report calls cutting up to 700 employees, including teachers and campus police officers.
Little is currently scrambling to see if he can rewrite the report in the light of today's news from Sacramento.
Will Carless is an investigative reporter at voiceofsandiego.org. You can reach him at will.carless@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5670.
UT Article - Dec 15 - SD school employees warned of cuts, layoffs
Article in today's U-T seems to state that SDUSD is not as badly affected as other districts in San Diego county.
It also reaffirms that SDUSD and all public school districts are under no obligation to provide transportation or schools that are "close" to the residence of its students.
The overall impact to our cluster is not clear. It implies that State funding will be reduced specifically for busing. This will put addition pressure on the MB Cluster to recruit parents to drive their own students. Does this mean the cluster should organize some type of private transportation opportunities for students willing to pay?
Schools searching for ways to offset busing cuts
Districts consider tapping reserves to maintain bus service
Education officials across San Diego County are scrambling to keep school buses rolling after the governor’s announcement this week that the state will cut $248 million in school transportation funding beginning Jan. 1.School districts plan to tap reserves or adjust budgets — if they can — to make up for the loss of about $15 million in state funding in the county.
Although the cuts are imminent, school districts are expected to continue providing bus service at least until March, according to David Walrath, legislative advocate for the Small School Districts’ Association. He said schools must give a 60-day notice before laying off bus drivers.
Eventually doing away with busing is an unthinkable option for some rural districts, according to Kevin Ogden, superintendent of the Julian Union School District.
“This cut hits small, rural school districts serving low-income families unfairly,” he said, calling school transportation a “lifeline” for poor.
Without buses, he said, “some parents may have to find themselves having to choose between their jobs and ensuring their children make it to and from school safely.”
The reductions are part of $1 billion in spending cuts triggered because state revenue fell short of optimistic projections.
“We’re not going to cut transportation in the middle of the year,” said Bernie Rhinerson, chief of staff for the San Diego Unified School District, which will lose about $4.5 million in bus funding. The district has an operating budget of just over $1 billion.
A breakdown of the cuts per student provided by the California School Employees Association shows a heavy burden on rural districts, even though the overall reduction may seem small.
Based on 2010-11 data used to estimate the busing cuts last spring, Warner Unified would face a loss of nearly $100,000 — which amounts to $396 per student. For Julian, it would be $282 per pupil and $179 at Mountain Empire.
San Diego Unified’s per pupil loss would come to $38, according to the association data.
Walrath said the small districts association will push the Legislature to spread the pain around more equitably.
Rural school officials held a news conference Wednesday to discuss the cuts. Some were at a loss at how they will deal with them.
Jackie Finch, transportation coordinator for the Dehesa school district and herself a bus driver, said, “We simply have nothing left to cut. … As a rural district, Dehesa is not able to reduce transportation by even a fraction.”
Justin Cunningham, superintendent of the 2,000-student Bonsall Union School District, said Bonsall will have to “find the means, whether it is reserves or some other way” to meet the $190,000 cut.
But he said the district won’t make any decisions until mid-January when the governor unveils his budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Carmen Garcia, superintendent of the Borrego Springs Unified School District, detailed the plight of a rural school district with a small student population and vast miles to cover.
Her district has 500 students but they are spread over 700 square miles. She said the impact of the cuts would come to $170 per student.
Lakeside Union School District’s Brian Bristol called the cuts “one of the most treacherous things we’ve experienced in years.” He estimates that … if applied against the transportation budget, the cuts will mean 20 percent of his low-income students will have no way to reach school and as many as 20 jobs could be eliminated.
To get a sense of the proportion of the cuts, Alpine Unified Superintendent Tom Pellegrino’s said his 90-square-mile district is facing a $100,000 cut in a $400,000 budget that serves 600 bus riders. “The district’s entire budget for gas and electricity is $100,000,” he said.
“Some parents already pay a $1,000 fee to get their kids to school. Should we raise their fee?” he asked.
California does not require schools to transport students except when required by law, such as busing for special education students. Districts that provide bus service for all students can charge for the rides.
Gov. Jerry Brown said he had no choice on the home-to-school transportation funding because that program was among many specifically targeted in the budget if revenues only came up to a certain level.
“There aren’t many happy alternatives,” he said at the Sacramento news conference Tuesday when he announced the $1 billion in cuts.
He dismissed the viability of legal action to block the busing cuts by the Los Angeles Unified School District, contending the state is on solid ground.
As for districts that say they have no choice but to cut busing, the governor disagreed. He said they could take money from elsewhere.
“Any school district that wants to spend on … transportation can do that,” he said. “They have their funds and this is local flexibility to make whatever decision they want. So you can view this basically as a cut to the overall school system and eliminating, for at least this year, one categorical program.”
While decrying the transportation cuts, education officials across the state this week expressed relief that the state revenue shortfall was not as bad as had been feared, averting more severe school cuts.
Staff writer Michael Gardner contributed to this report.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
VOSD Sponsored Public Forum on Dec 7 - Offer your opinion and ask questions
| |||
UT Article - Dec 3 - SD school employees warned of cuts, layoffs
Hi,
Take note of the comments by various people:
Brian
San Diego city schools chief Bill Kowba issued a sobering letter to some 14,000 employees Friday, warning about grim finances and layoff notices set to land in mailboxes before the holidays under the threat of midyear cuts.
Teachers are safe from midyear job cuts under state law that requires any potential layoffs to be signaled with March pink slips. Cafeteria workers, clerks, janitors and other workers may be terminated after a 45-day warning.
About 55 nonteaching jobs are up for elimination by Feb. 2. However, a wave of layoff notices would be dispatched throughout the district to accommodate the seniority-based bumping process that gives seasoned employees the ability to take a position held by less-experienced colleague.
The San Diego Unified School District’s budget woes have been well-publicized for months and are unlikely to come as a surprise to employees. Even so, Kowba sought to provide all personnel with a “heads up” on the situation in Friday’s memo.
The district is bracing for midyear cuts of $26 million to $30 million to it’s $1.057 billion operating budget, based on disappointing financial projections from the state, setting the stage for a potentially devastating budget scenario for the 2012-13 school year. In October, Kowba made the alarming announcement that midyear cuts could push the district into insolvency and potentially force a state takeover of local campuses.
Making it through this school year would require the district to drain $22 million from a reserve account, spend $4.5 million in real estate proceeds, and impose a hiring freeze to save $1.5 million, Kowba said. Another $1.7 million to plug the shortfall would come from eliminating about 55 nonteaching jobs.
Kowba acknowledges the poor timing in his memo: “Unfortunately, the timing of the midyear cuts requires that the Human Resources Department begin the notice preparation process before the winter break.”
Next year, many more employees could lose jobs, Kowba said in the memo. The superintendent will release preliminary cost-cutting measures on Tuesday as the school board lays the ground work for another grim budget.
“... it is extremely difficult to achieve budget adjustments of this magnitude without drastic staffing reductions,” Kowba said in the letter. “Consequently, this list of budget solutions will include recommendations for significant layoffs touching all stakeholder groups, programs, and organizations in the district.”
Like other districts up and down the state, San Diego Unified has been bracing for midyear budget cuts ever since California’s independent legislative analyst issued dire revenue projections in November. A second and pivotal fiscal forecast is set to be released on Dec. 15 by the state Department of Finance.
The state balanced its current budget under the assumption that revenues would grow by $4 billion. Automatic cuts to state programs will start if revenues fall more than $1 billon short of that mark.
The report released last month from the state’s legislative analyst predicted revenues would come in $3.7 billion short, enough to trigger $1.35 billion in cuts to schools.
Gov. Jerry Brown must rely on the most favorable of the two state fiscal reports to authorize the triggers. But districts must begin balancing next year’s budget under the assumption that midyear are a given.
San Diego Unified Chief Financial Office Ron Little said the worst-case scenario would drive up the budget shortfall next year to $97 million. Even without midyear cuts, he said the deficit could reach $72 million.
“The economy is recovering, but more slowly than anticipated,” Little told the board Tuesday. “The state budget presents longtime and ongoing challenges.”
San Diego Unified has cut millions from its budget in recent years to cope with the state’s fiscal crisis. However, many have criticized the board for a series of decisions that have complicated the situation.
For example, the board spent about $30 million to hire back hundreds of laid off teachers this summer — rather than sock the money away — based on optimistic state revenue projections. The board also negotiated a contract with teachers that calls for raises to kick in next year at a cost of $21 million, a decision it now wants to revisit with labor representatives.
“The (San Diego) board wanted to give people back their jobs and give students the best education programs. In this kind of environment, that is very risky,” said Lora Duzyk, assistant superintendent at the San Diego County Office of Education. “They took a gamble. We don’t know yet if it was the right decision, or if — and how — they may have to pay for it.”
Bill Freeman, who represents the district’s some 7,000 teachers as president of the San Diego Education Association, said the union will not apologize for the raises that teachers were promised or the jobs he said they deserve. He called Kowba’s letter overly alarming, but he said he understands the district must meet a series of state budget deadlines.
Freeman would not discuss whether the union would agree to concessions. But he hinted that a compromise could be considered — if it is deemed necessary.
“Once we get real information from the state about real numbers — not projections — we will do what we have to do,” said Freeman, “We are optimistic. We do not believe the state will let this district go under.”
The board will meet at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at district headquarters, 4100 Normal Street, to consider layoff notices and other initiatives to get through midyear cuts. Trustees will also review cost-cutting measures to balance next year’s budget. The board is set to vote to adopt a first interim budget on Dec. 13 in time to get the document to the San Diego County Office of Education by the Dec. 15 deadline.
Letter to Employees
Take note of the comments by various people:
- Bill Kowba (Superintendent)
- Ron Little (SDUSD CFO)
- Lora Duzyk (County Board of Education - responsible for approving SDUSD budget)
- Bill Freeman (President of the teacher's union - SDEA).
Brian
SD school employees warned of cuts, layoffs
San Diego city schools chief Bill Kowba issued a sobering letter to some 14,000 employees Friday, warning about grim finances and layoff notices set to land in mailboxes before the holidays under the threat of midyear cuts.
Teachers are safe from midyear job cuts under state law that requires any potential layoffs to be signaled with March pink slips. Cafeteria workers, clerks, janitors and other workers may be terminated after a 45-day warning.
Superintendent Bill Kowba
The San Diego Unified School District’s budget woes have been well-publicized for months and are unlikely to come as a surprise to employees. Even so, Kowba sought to provide all personnel with a “heads up” on the situation in Friday’s memo.
The district is bracing for midyear cuts of $26 million to $30 million to it’s $1.057 billion operating budget, based on disappointing financial projections from the state, setting the stage for a potentially devastating budget scenario for the 2012-13 school year. In October, Kowba made the alarming announcement that midyear cuts could push the district into insolvency and potentially force a state takeover of local campuses.
Making it through this school year would require the district to drain $22 million from a reserve account, spend $4.5 million in real estate proceeds, and impose a hiring freeze to save $1.5 million, Kowba said. Another $1.7 million to plug the shortfall would come from eliminating about 55 nonteaching jobs.
Kowba acknowledges the poor timing in his memo: “Unfortunately, the timing of the midyear cuts requires that the Human Resources Department begin the notice preparation process before the winter break.”
Next year, many more employees could lose jobs, Kowba said in the memo. The superintendent will release preliminary cost-cutting measures on Tuesday as the school board lays the ground work for another grim budget.
“... it is extremely difficult to achieve budget adjustments of this magnitude without drastic staffing reductions,” Kowba said in the letter. “Consequently, this list of budget solutions will include recommendations for significant layoffs touching all stakeholder groups, programs, and organizations in the district.”
Like other districts up and down the state, San Diego Unified has been bracing for midyear budget cuts ever since California’s independent legislative analyst issued dire revenue projections in November. A second and pivotal fiscal forecast is set to be released on Dec. 15 by the state Department of Finance.
The state balanced its current budget under the assumption that revenues would grow by $4 billion. Automatic cuts to state programs will start if revenues fall more than $1 billon short of that mark.
The report released last month from the state’s legislative analyst predicted revenues would come in $3.7 billion short, enough to trigger $1.35 billion in cuts to schools.
Gov. Jerry Brown must rely on the most favorable of the two state fiscal reports to authorize the triggers. But districts must begin balancing next year’s budget under the assumption that midyear are a given.
San Diego Unified Chief Financial Office Ron Little said the worst-case scenario would drive up the budget shortfall next year to $97 million. Even without midyear cuts, he said the deficit could reach $72 million.
“The economy is recovering, but more slowly than anticipated,” Little told the board Tuesday. “The state budget presents longtime and ongoing challenges.”
San Diego Unified has cut millions from its budget in recent years to cope with the state’s fiscal crisis. However, many have criticized the board for a series of decisions that have complicated the situation.
For example, the board spent about $30 million to hire back hundreds of laid off teachers this summer — rather than sock the money away — based on optimistic state revenue projections. The board also negotiated a contract with teachers that calls for raises to kick in next year at a cost of $21 million, a decision it now wants to revisit with labor representatives.
“The (San Diego) board wanted to give people back their jobs and give students the best education programs. In this kind of environment, that is very risky,” said Lora Duzyk, assistant superintendent at the San Diego County Office of Education. “They took a gamble. We don’t know yet if it was the right decision, or if — and how — they may have to pay for it.”
Bill Freeman, who represents the district’s some 7,000 teachers as president of the San Diego Education Association, said the union will not apologize for the raises that teachers were promised or the jobs he said they deserve. He called Kowba’s letter overly alarming, but he said he understands the district must meet a series of state budget deadlines.
Freeman would not discuss whether the union would agree to concessions. But he hinted that a compromise could be considered — if it is deemed necessary.
“Once we get real information from the state about real numbers — not projections — we will do what we have to do,” said Freeman, “We are optimistic. We do not believe the state will let this district go under.”
The board will meet at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at district headquarters, 4100 Normal Street, to consider layoff notices and other initiatives to get through midyear cuts. Trustees will also review cost-cutting measures to balance next year’s budget. The board is set to vote to adopt a first interim budget on Dec. 13 in time to get the document to the San Diego County Office of Education by the Dec. 15 deadline.
Letter to Employees
From: Smolens, Michael Sent: Friday, December 02, 2011 5:01 PM To: Smolens, Michael Subject: FW: First Interim Report and Mid-Year Budget Cuts Attachments: image001.jpg; image002.jpg Dear District Employee: The purpose of this email is to provide you with a “heads up” about a public discussion that will take place over the next few weeks about the district’s first interim financial report and mid-year cuts. At the Board meeting on Dec. 6, 2011, I will present budget reduction recommendations to accommodate an estimated mid-year cut of approximately $26-30 million. At the same time, there will be an initial reading of draft first interim report budget solutions to balance a $91-97 million budget shortfall in 2012/13. On Dec. 13, 2011, there will be a second reading of the first interim report budget solutions. First Interim Financial Report As background, every year the district is required to submit a first interim financial report to the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) by Dec. 15. This report highlights information on our financial condition for the first four months of the current fiscal year and a projection of our financial position for the next two years. With the submission of the report, the Board certifies the district’s ability to meet all financial commitments. Per SDCOE guidance, in this year’s first interim, we are required to assume that the State will impose a mid-year cut to K-12 funding and that we will not receive a Cost of Living Funding Adjustment (COLA) in 2012/13. As a result of these two assumptions and other fiscal planning factors, we have calculated a budget shortfall in 2012/13 of $91-97 million. To address the mid-year cut and next year’s shortfall, the first interim report will require the submission of a preliminary list of budget reductions for both scenarios. At this point, the list of reductions cannot include any assumption of negotiated budget savings from collective bargaining that may or may not materialize in the coming months. Mid-year Cut Reductions and Timing Issues The State budget approved in June included a legal provision that automatically imposes funding cuts on K-12 education should state revenues fall below targeted projections by more than $2 billion. Under this provision, the Governor must consider the more positive of two revenue assessments, one from the Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) and the other from the Department of Finance, in making a trigger decision. The LAO projection, released before Thanksgiving, estimated a state revenue shortfall of $3.7 billion, which, if confirmed by the Finance Department projections, would result in a mid-year General Fund reduction for San Diego Unified of approximately $26-30 million. The projection from the Finance Department will not be released until Dec. 15, after the district’s deadline to submit the first interim report to the County. Simply stated, we must act on a mid-year budget cut strategy before the Governor has the required financial reports that will determine if the mid-year cut trigger must be implemented. At the Dec. 6 Board meeting, I will present recommendations to the Board to mitigate the mid-year cut by obtaining monies in the following areas: * $22M – Projected year-end fund balances, * $4.5M – Real estate sale proceeds, * $1.7M – Mid-year classified staffing reduction savings, and * $1.5M – Hiring freeze savings. I will be initiating a strategic hiring freeze on all non-essential positions for the remainder of this fiscal year to help replenish our year-end balance and mitigate the scope of the 2012/13 deficit. In order to achieve the needed budget reductions in this fiscal year, the classified staffing reduction must be initiated this month to provide impacted employees with the required 45-day notice. Unfortunately, the timing of the mid-year cuts requires that the Human Resources Department begin the notice preparation process before the winter break. 2012/13 Budget Development Like the mid-year cut scenario, the 2012/13 $91-97 million reduction situation must be addressed before the Governor has acted. In this case, the Governor will not release his draft 2012/13 budget until early January 2012. The first interim report must also include a list of solutions to address the projected deficit without negotiated employee concessions. After five years of significant budget reductions totaling more than $450 million, it is extremely difficult to achieve budget adjustments of this magnitude without drastic staffing reductions. Consequently, this list of budget solutions will include recommendations for significant layoffs touching all stakeholder groups, programs, and organizations in the district. As the new year opens, we will be increasing our advocacy efforts in Sacramento and consulting with our employee groups about concessions that can mitigate the drastic staffing reductions that must be included in the first interim report submission to the County Office. I believe that we can weather this storm if we continue to work together collaboratively and creatively on a range of solutions. Advocacy with our elected representatives must be ongoing to urge them to find revenue solutions for the California budget crisis that can stave the tide of devastation hitting public education in California. Thank you for your continued dedication and commitment to our students as we continue to face this unprecedented economic crisis. [Kowba Signature] Bill Kowba Superintendent
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