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Schools

Ouch! School Trustees Dig into Possible Budget Cuts

MDUSD may have to reduce hours, or lay off music teachers, secretaries, library assistants and maintenance workers.

The school budget issue is getting uglier and uglier.

The Mt. Diablo school district may have to cut $21.3 million from its 2011-2012 budget and lay off dozens of music teachers, librarian assistants, secretaries and maintenance workers if the state cuts its funds to schools by $350 per student per day – and that’s not even the worst case scenario, according to Superintendant Steven Lawrence at a budget presentation meeting Tuesday.

If Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax proposals do not make it onto the June ballot and if they do not pass, cuts to the district’s ADA (Average Daily Attendance) money could be as much as $780 per student, according to a warning from the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office.

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“Nothing on this list is painless. Everything painful,” Lawrence said. “Going back a few years, the district board has already cut 10 percent of the CSEA (union) positions, 17 percent of the of the CST (union) positions, 12 percent of the teachers, 15.8 percent of the administrators and now we’re at maintenance and operations. We are definitely at the point of cutting to the bone.” 

The latest budget scenario came about because of two issues. By state law, school districts must notify many of its employees by March 15 if they may be laid off for the following school year. (The district will not know what its final budget will be until the Legislature passes its budget in the summer – or fall, as it did this year.) 

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Budget cuts 

State law requires school district budgets to be balanced. The district, like all others in the county, was also required this month to provide this possible $350 ADA cut scenario by the Contra Costa County Office of Education.  

In addition, the governor has said he will withhold payment of state ADA money for the last quarter of the 2011-2012 school year until after July 1, 2012, which means the Mt. Diablo district will have to get a 15-month loan to tide it over. Obtaining a lower interest rate for that loan depends on the district having a positive, or balanced, rating for its budget, Lawrence said.

Some cuts may be negotiable with employee unions. For example, the district is discussing with teachers about saving music programs if elementary teachers’ prep period is cut. Also on the negotiations table are capping health care costs, eliminating vacation buyouts and eliminating employee assistance programs.

Where to Cut?

The presentation prompted suggestions for other areas to cut from the trustees.

Cheryl Hansen pushed again for the sale of Willow Creek Center and to have the county operate the Diablo Day Community School, which serves students who have been expelled from the district. Hansen said she had talked informally to a real estate developer, who had said the land might sell for $750,000 to $1.2 million. 

Hansen again asked for a list of employees who have retired but have been brought back for teaching or administrative assignments.

Board president Gary Eberhart asked the superintendant to find out the costs of testing not required by state and federal mandates, and whether parental information could be sent to parents by email instead of paper.

“It’s enough paper to make a phone book,” said Eberhart, who has a daughter in a Mt. Diablo district school.

Trustee Linda Mayo, who attended the meeting remotely through a phone hookup in Hawaii, reminded Eberhart that not all parents have electronic access.

Eberhart also said the district should put a freeze on all travel, even that paid by grants, and that the district should put a freeze on all vacant positions.

Sherry Whitmarsh wondered if the district could save money in textbooks costs by shifting to electronic readers, such as a kindle.

Lawrence said there were several problems with switching to e-readers.

“We had not considered making the expenditure, “ Lawrence said. “We might be able to use tech funds from Measure C although I don’t know. But aside from that, not all publishers can handle our needs (for textbooks) yet.”

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