City Schools Look Toward Future Cuts (CA)

September 21, 2010

As students are settling into a new school year, San Diego Unified School District board members are looking into the next year, which will be the fifth straight of major cuts.

Board members will begin budget talks for the 2011-2012 school year months earlier than usual today as they face a $141.6 million projected deficit — and that’s assuming the governor approves more than $12 million in special education funds for the district.

The district will be looking at potential sweeping cuts with little room to reallocate district funds like it has in the past. While specifics are lacking at this point, there’s talk of losing teaching and administrative jobs, hits to athletic and performing arts programs and even school closures.

All five board members support for Proposition J, a Nov. 2 parcel tax that would raise $50 million annually in each of the next five years. The $98-per-house proposed tax along with the budget situation and student achievement will be the focus of nine town hall style meetings in the weeks before the election.

Under Proposition J, condominium and apartment owners would pay $60 annually and commercial property owners would pay $450 each year.

The possible $141.6 million shortfall is more than double what the board was told to expect last year during preliminary budget workshops for 2011-12. More recently, the projected deficit was increased to around $130 million.

San Diego Unified has a $1.1 billion operating budget.

The district, like others, has been hurt by repeated state cuts and the lack of a current state budget. To compensate for the special education money — which the district expects to be approved — the school board has reduced its reserve fund to the lowest legal level.

Board member John de Beck said in an e-mail Monday that the discussion of the budget implications is premature since it precedes the voter decision on Proposition J. Critics of the parcel tax have raised concerns that money would do little to alleviate budget issues in classrooms.

De Beck supports the parcel tax, but said a budget discussion without an itemization of what parcel tax dollars could restore to the district could validate critics’ concerns.

“Those tax opponents who are asserting that the entire parcel tax is going to pay raises might have their concerns met,” he said. “Those folks want the (money) to keep their programs, hold the line on class size, etc. Just making the cuts and saying we will make things better just won’t cut it.”

Today, the district intends to start discussing the possible elimination of some teaching and administrative jobs, supplemental allocations for ninth grade athletics, varsity athletics and performing arts programs.

Supplemental funding for magnet schools and four superintendent positions are also at stake. The district assigned each of its eight areas their own respective superintendents just this year when it implemented a community-based reform strategy.

School closures, restructuring of K-8 grade schools and the implementation of half-day kindergarten are also up for discussion. The board must submit a preliminary budget to the county Board of Education by Dec. 15.

The current year’s $134 million worth of budget cuts forced the district to cut a week from the school year, boost class sizes and raise health care costs.