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In This Issue...
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Education
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Pajaro Schools Bracing Community for More Cuts
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Pajaro Schools Bracing Community for More Cuts
More than $11 Million in Additional Losses Expected
By Linda Fridy
Facing another $11.5 million in cuts for the coming year, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District is taking its numbers on the road, hosting three budget crisis meetings in early October.
The final two are Monday, Oct. 12, at EA Hall Middle School in Watsonville and Tuesday, Oct.13, at Aptos High School. Both start at 6 p.m.
The meetings give the district a chance to outline its fiscal challenges and to bring the community into the discussion.
"I'd like a good turnout at the meetings so people can hear and see for themselves what's happening with the district and the state," said Mary Hart, associate superintendent of business.
The state holds school districts to a higher financial standard than its own practices, requiring them to project balanced budgets three years out. At the moment Pajaro expects an $11.5 million deficit next year and $21 million in 2011-2012.
Under state law, the district must present the Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools with balanced budgets for those years by Dec. 16, which is why officials are holding these sessions now.
Even More Cuts
The cuts the district must identify follow years of declining income from the state. It has already eliminated $35.7 million since the 2003-2004 school year, Hart noted.
The next round of cuts will take that total over $47 million during the next few years.
For the current year, the district increased class sizes from 20 to 30 students in kindergarten and third grades, cut central office personnel by 25 percent, attempted to reduce transportation costs by decreasing the number of bus stops and eliminated nearly all funding for after-school sports. Counselors, library staff and high school assistant principals have also been laid off or had hours cut.
The district office, which leases space in the Towers in Watsonville, was able to reduce its rent, saving $75,000 a year.
As severe as the current cuts are, federal stimulus money kept further reductions at bay. That money will not be available next year.
In addition, the state economy remains weak and some income projections from the July budget may fall short, requiring mid-year cuts. Those would be on top of the $11.5 million.
The Price of People
In her presentation, Hart notes that 84 percent of the district's costs come from employee salaries and benefits. Any reductions in those must be negotiated with the district's several bargaining units.
The teachers' union and the district entered mediation after failing to come to an agreement regarding certain elements of last year's contract. That stalemate delayed negotiations for the current year. However, teachers are taking one furlough day this year based on the previous agreement.
Most personnel savings to date have come from layoffs. In the last two years, the district eliminated 84 certificated positions, which included teachers, counselors and specialized support positions. Those equal about 8 percent of the total jobs in that bargaining unit.
Certificated personnel represents 57 percent of the district's staffing costs, Hart calculated.
Classified workers, who range from office staff and custodians to bus drivers, have lost 229 jobs, more than a quarter of the total. They represent 31 percent of staffing costs.
Administration support has also taken a heavy percentage hit, although the actual number of jobs is much fewer in that category since there were fewer administrative personnel to start with. Overall, administration cut 17.5 positions in the last two years.
Management, including site management, accounts for 12 percent of staffing costs.
Any Options?
In August, the board agreed to spend $30,000 to consider placing a parcel tax or bond on the ballot to generate additional income. Given the large size of the district, which stretches from Aptos to Pajaro in north Monterey County, even a modest parcel tax of $30 would generate $1 million.
Parcel taxes are a flat rate for each property and unlike bonds don't depend on the assessed value. They require two-thirds support of voters to pass.
A general obligation bond, on the other hand, is tied to the assessed property value and requires only a 55 percent majority to pass.
Local tax support would give the district money the state cannot touch, but the vast majority of funding does come from the state. The community meetings also touch on how the community can advocate for schools at that level.
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