’s worst-case budget scenario remains $51 million short next school year, a gap that will have to be plugged by the end of next month.
The Board of Trustees heard a financial report Wednesday from , deputy superintendent of business services. Despite , which show the state is facing its own budget crisis more harrowing than previous expected, CUSD’s financial crunch pretty much remains the same: The district needs to make $30 million in cuts should a November tax measure pass; $51 million if it doesn’t.
“We’re looking between the cushions of the couch at this point,” Trustee John Alpay said later in the meeting in response to a $21,000 expenditure the board ultimately did not approve.
The governor’s May revision to the budget proposal he made in January is “not good news,” Hampton said. In January, the state expected to be $9.2 billion in the hole, but actual tax receipts have come in way short. Brown believes the state now faces a $15.7 billion defecit, while a state analyst said the governor may be a “few billion dollars” off.
Even if the November initiative passes to increase taxes temporarily, the school district would receive flat funding, Hampton said.
“There’s actually no new money for schools,” he said.
If the taxes don’t pass, the school district will receive $441 less per student, which totals $21.8 million, Hampton said. The rest of the school district’s shortfall comes from declining enrollment – school districts receive money based on how many students show up to class – and the exhaustion of one-time federal stimulus and jobs moneys.
Hampton said ultimately, funding for education is tied to the economy at large, which is experiencing the most fragile of recoveries in California.
“It doesn’t look like there’s much end in sight to this depressing news,” Hampton said.
In other financial news, the board heard from a consultant about the possibility of refinancing several debts, including a financial vehicle called “certificates of participation” it used to pay for the district’s headquarters. Of the $31.9 million the district borrowed in 2002, it still owes $22.8 million, according to the report.
Refinancing the debt could save the district $180,000 annually, and $2.12 million in total, said Lori Raineri, president of Government Financial Strategies of Sacramento.
“We’re managing it to the lowest cost. That’s the stewardship we are trying to achieve,” Raineri said.
The item will come back for board approval likely in the summer.
CTA's Mission Statement: "The California Teachers Association exists to protect and promote the well-being of its members; to improve the conditions of teaching and learning; to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality public education; to ensure that the human dignity and civil rights of all children and youth are protected; and to secure a more just, equitable, and democratic society." More detail can be found at http://www.cta.org/About-CTA/Who-We-Are/Mission-Statement.aspx There is a system set up within CUSD for teachers to report maintenance and other issues involving school sites which they can and do (I did it whenever I noticed a hazard or "abysmal condition")access when needed and every year at the end of the school year a report on any issues that need to be addressed is part of the check out process as teachers clean and pack. Whether these issues are addressed is another thing..often times they were but sometimes they weren't. So I reported them again. If that didn't work I asked a parent to report them (this is usually more effective). Neither CTA or CUEA "control" the district. There is no evidence of that and no matter how many times you say it it will not be any truer.
The board voted to adhere to the constraints set out in the contract signed by your friends the former "reform" board. Only 3 new board members (a minority) were seated after the election. 4 "reformers" are left. The "secret" information was released immediately and this little issue of procedure was corrected. No malfeasance was found...although you looked for it really hard and a law suit was filed and then withdrawn for lack of any proof. The multimillion dollars are reduced revenues...a lot less money will be coming into the district to pay the bills.
You're great at deflecting away from points made. I didn't mention anything about teachers reporting maintenance and other issues. I specifically address the teachers union's refusal to help and assist in getting deplorable conditions at a school corrected when it was asked to do so. The teachers union does control CUSD, and there are numerous examples, starting with the $20 million it got back. Just because you don't believe facts are evidence (funny, in a court of law they are) means nothing. I wouldn't expect a union shrill (with a split personality to boot) like you to acknowledge the facts or reality. There is someone who post on here who apparently is from New Orleans. He or she will appreciate this piece of Southern wisdom. "You can't make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t," yet that's what CUSD and the teachers union are trying to do.
"exists to protect and promote the well-being of its members; The only mention of kids (nothing about promoting THEIR education): "to ensure that the human dignity and civil rights of all children and youth are protected;" I can see it clearly now. And I asked before to the teachers posting on here a question and it seems that you may have missed it or ignored it because you do not want to look for other viable solutions, start using some of the critical thinking skills that you taught children during your career - I would like to see solutions put on the table: If you could ask your union to make a change - what would it be? What do you think could be done better? How can we provide education that is top notch with the money we have?
If you receive bad service at a restaurant do you return again? How many chances do you give that restaurant to serve you well and give you a quality meal that is of good value for the price you paid? Why should it be any different with a school? Once we have a choice of schools parents and students don't have to settle for poor service. Is this the reason you are against Charters and school choice? You'd rather have a Government Monopoly on education so that they can continue turning out a mediocre product created by complacent government employees. The fact that the newest teachers are riffed and the longest employed kept, doesn't encourage continuous quality improvement.
Maybe this is the reason music programs are cut. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-280839--.html?data=1&appSession=74095100095739&RecordID=6529&PageID=3&PrevPageID=2&cpipage=1&CPIsortType=&CPIorderBy=&cbCurrentRecordPosition=2#article-data
http://www.city-journal.org/2012/22_2_california-teachers-association.html Very interesting history on the CTA and what they have done to the Education in the state of CA. Folks, I think that more and more parents are starting to wake up and more and more people are standing up - we are not alone. I hope that someday when History is written about what we are facing today, I hope that the children of today understand and know how hard the PARENTS and Tax Payers fought for them!!!
CTA has now turned its attention and ire to the "Stop Special Interest Money Now Act" because this proposition seeks to reduce the influence of special interest groups (private and public) in CA, and CTA is the largest special interest group in CA. It would be hard for CTA to control education in CA to the extent it currently does if school choice is allowed to flourish, unions can't spend its members money on political matters without the approval of the members, and unions need their members consent before deducting dues from their paychecks. http://unionwatch.org/cta-encourages-teachers-to-use-classrooms-to-promote-political-agenda/ I guess we will have to see how many teachers put the CTA designated poster against the "Stop Special Interest Money Now Act" in their classroom as urged by CTA. Just what I want, one of my kids becoming a pawn in CTA's political shenanigans.
I think a lot of Private schools are hurting right now because of the economy. They need to get more students to enroll. A lot of families have pulled their kids from private and have them in the regular CUSD schools. This was a real shock to an acquaintaince of mine who went into the experience with high hopes since her other friend is a big fan of CUSD schools. Unfortuately, it hasn't worked out to their liking. I don't know all of the details, I need to ask the next time I see her but I go back to my default position of CUSD schools don't meet the needs of every student. Families who've had their children in Private schools or schools in other districts or states may be very unsatisfied with what they receive in CUSD by comparison. That's not bashing CUSD, but living in reality. I'd love to see the CUSD schools offer everything that my nieces receive in AZ. SCN, I think that any further erosion of quality will only cause a further decline in enrollment which will further decrease school funding. Kind of a viscious circle.
I agree about the time kids spend on schoolwork. My friends who homeschool enjoy a lot of extracurricular activities that they would be hard pressed to find the time for in a regular school environment. It's nice to have some time to be a kid rather than school all day and homework all night. Perhaps this will do something to improve the quality of education in our state. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_20631040/8-students-file-suit-against-lausd-governor-alleging?source=most_viewed
This is just an example of why nothing that is read on this blog can be believed. If I were any of you I would enjoy my weekend and spend time with family rather than read this rag. What a joke! Too bad people lie to try to get an invalid and useless point across. Cyberbullying at it's best. Isn't that what they are teaching the 7th and 8th graders at OPA NOT to do???? Maybe some of you should enroll and learn something! Embarassing for the Patch that they have stooped to this low level of journalism. Not checking facts and printing blogs. Ridiculous!!!! See ya!
This is just an example of why nothing that is read on this blog can be believed. If I were any of you I would enjoy my weekend and spend time with family rather than read this rag. What a joke! Too bad people lie to try to get an invalid and useless point across. Cyberbullying at it's best. Isn't that what they are teaching the 7th and 8th graders at OPA NOT to do???? Maybe some of you should enroll and learn something! Embarassing for the Patch that they have stooped to this low level of journalism. Not checking facts and printing blogs. Ridiculous!!!! See ya!
Patch welcomes people of all opinions to come and discuss the issues. We work hard to make it a place where all sides can be heard, yes, even those who disagree with you. BTW, this article has nothing to do with OPA, and I'm not sure why some critics went there. For your edification, the Terms of Use are found here: http://sanjuancapistrano.patch.com/terms. The comments after a story are not blogs (which are clearly labeled at the SJC Patch), but merely that, comments. As long as people abide by our terms of use, we do not stifle their right to free speech.
Why are YOU reading this "rag" rather than enjoying your weekend and spending time with family? Who is lying and cyberbullying? What exactly are you referring to? There are people here that have been debating on either side of an issue regarding whether to vote for more taxes. Some people like the idea of vouchers and / or charter and private schools, some just want the status quo with more taxes.
The Public Union Chiefs are in denial !!! “The actuary is supposedly going to lower the assumed reinvestment rate from an absolutely hysterical, laughable 8 percent to a totally indefensible 7 or 7.5 percent,” Mr. Bloomberg said during a trip to Albany in late February. “If I can give you one piece of financial advice: If somebody offers you a guaranteed 7 percent on your money for the rest of your life, you take it and just make sure the guy’s name is not Madoff.” ... Worse, many economists say, is that states and cities have special accounting rules that have been criticized for greatly understating pension costs. Governments do not just use their investment assumptions to project future asset growth. They also use them to measure what they will owe retirees in the future in today’s dollars, something companies (AKA - Evil Corporations) have not been permitted to do since 1993. ... Mr. Dunmoyer, who represents the insurance industry on the board, sounded shocked. “To me, as a fiduciary, you want to have more than a 50 percent chance of success.” If Calpers kept setting high targets and missing them, “the impact on the counties won’t be bigger numbers,” he said. “It will be bankruptcy.” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/28/nyregion/fragile-calculus-in-plans-to-fix-pension-systems.html?_r=1&ref=marywilliamswalsh
You didn't hear the news? Pam laid Jollygirl to rest a few days ago (God rest JG's soul). Not sure if it was murder or suicide, but apparently JG's gone for good.