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In Soquel and Capitola Schools, Loss of Students Absorbs State Budget Boost
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In Soquel and Capitola Schools, Loss of Students Absorbs State Budget Boost
By Michael Thomas
The Governor’s budget proposal would give Soquel Union Elementary School District a considerable boost in funding next year. But with the District expecting continued declining enrollment, the revenue increase will disappear and the District will dismiss teachers.
“We end up with virtually nothing because of declining enrollment,” said District Superintendent Kathleen Howard.
The Governor has proposed a Cost of Living Increase (COLA) for school districts of 5.18 percent for next year, and that number may even increase when the Department of Commerce releases final figures on economic growth in the coming months.
For Soquel schools, the Governor’s proposal amounts to about $440,000, according to Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Sheree Brown. But the District also expects to lose 89 students, bringing enrollment down to about 1,728 students and resulting in a significant loss of attendance-based funding.
In addition to the COLA, the District will also get about $22 per student in “equalization” funds, which are aimed at correcting inequities between school districts. That amounts to another $38,000 based on expected enrollment, but it will only help the District maintain the status quo in terms of programs and services.
“Basically all gets eaten up,” Brown said. “We only get $11,000 more in the end.”
The District has an overall budget of $14.3 million. The District has a tentative contract agreement with certificated teachers for the current school year, but has yet to reach an agreement with other staff.
Teachers Will be Lost
Brown estimated that about four full-time equivalent teaching positions will be lost next year as a result of declining enrollment.
“We didn’t have to notify any of our permanent people. We had enough temporary teachers that we could reduce staffing as we needed to,” she said.
On a positive note, the District is well positioned to provide post-retirement benefits in the coming decades. A new federal rule required audits of public agency liabilities this year, including the future costs of providing retirement benefits to those already retired and employees still working. Some area school districts found that retirement costs were expected to significantly increase in future years, and that those costs would weigh heavily on future budgets.
“We have been setting aside dollars to take care of that,” Brown said. “We started putting aside monies several years ago.”
Overall, the outlook isn’t rosy, but it’s far better than in recent years when crumbling finances forced board members to approve mid-year budget cuts, the elimination of transportation services and the closure of Capitola Elementary.
Board President Lou Tuosto declined to comment on the District’s financial outlook for the coming year.
The Governor’s proposal still must run the gauntlet of legislative approval, but according to Brown, “Historically when a Governor proposes a budget [for schools] it doesn’t get worse. But then, you never know.”
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