School District Considers Preliminary $1.4 Million Budget Cuts

Despite a need to cut a , the is sending out just two pink slips by the March 15 deadline to notify credentialed teachers of the possibility of lay-offs for the coming year.

“It’s only to give the district time to take a look,” said Assistant Superintendent Marci Trahan, in charge of human resources, at the district’s meeting on March 1.

The board approved a preliminary multi-year plan – first proposed at a special budget workshop on Feb. 12 – at it’s meeting on Tuesday night that attempts to cut $500,000 from the 2011-12 school year, $500,000 from the 2012-13 school year, and $400,000 from the 2013-14 school year.

The board had previously agreed to those targets in light of continuing state budget troubles. The district relies more heavily on state funding than many other districts in Marin and so has been harder hit by the state’s budget woes. The district made $725,250 in cuts in 2009-10, but avoided larger cuts and avoided more cuts in 2010-11 by dipping into the reserve fund repeatedly. It cannot continue to dip into the reserve, however, and is required by the Marin County Office of Education to maintain a sustainable multi-year budget.

Because the district could no longer rely on its reserve funds, there was a need to cut the minimum $1.4 million over the next three years in the budget and preliminary areas were chosen for potential cuts. (The full list is at right.)

This includes increasing the ratio of third grade classes from 20 students per class to up to 25 students per class. Currently, four of the classes have 22-24 students, while the rest have 20 students. It would also increase sixth- to eighth-grade classes from 25-27 kids to 29 kids.

The proposal also decreases library services and personnel by 20 percent, decreases aides in Special Education by 25 percent and decreases Kindergarten aides by 50 percent. (Kindergarten teachers, reportedly, expressed a preference for maintaining full-day Kindergarten classes.)

There would be an across the board cut to supplies by 5 percent.

Currently under negotiation with the teachers’ union’s bargaining unit is the possibility of removing three days from the school year. If this is done, then the first item reinstated would be sixth- to eighth-grade class size reductions.

The board emphasized, though, that all these proposals are preliminary and are predominantly to highlight areas under which cuts and redistribution of resources will be further examined.

“We have to give ourselves flexibility,” said Board Member Sharon Sagar.

l Principal David Finnane asked that the board take into consideration that increased class size in the lower-level math classes makes those classes far more challenging for teachers to teach. And a number of special education teachers spoke to the board about the work they do, helping students to join mainstream classes, and that cuts in positions would have an adverse effect on students.

Board Member Heidi Kritscher Weller emphasized that the board hopes the teachers and staff will have discussions about how to best make these cuts and changes, but that it doesn’t necessarily mean a loss of a staff member, but could mean a reassignment or reallocation of duties.

“It’s a matter of how we’re going to deliver those services in a different way,” said Kritscher Weller.

The board approved this preliminary plan, but acknowledged that a number of variables are still up in the air.

The state budget depends on a number of ballot measures being passed in June. As of right now, the legislature hasn’t even agreed to put those measures on the ballot. If the measures do not pass, the Ross Valley School District would have to cut an approximate additional $2 million over the next three years, according Superintendent Eileen Rohan at e.

Because of the uncertainty, the district has prepared two potential multi-year budget scenarios.

As more information becomes available, the district plans to bring that to the community.

“It’s kind of a moving target too with what’s going on with the state,” said Board President Chris Carlucci.

Despite the potential budget, the board approved pink slips be sent to just two staff members.

State law requires that certificated teachers be notified by March 15 about the possibility that they may be laid off. This doesn’t mean that they necessarily will be; final lay off notices are given on May 15. The board approved that the equivalent of 5.3 positions be notified of possible lay-offs, primarily in the middle school, but because some teachers will be reassigned and others have resigned, only two staff members actually received pink slips.

Additionally, some temporary teachers may not be rehired. State law requires that temporary staff be notified by the end of June if they will not be rehired – though some have already been notified of the possibility.

From here, the board hopes to gather community input over the next two months and is expected to make final budget decisions (excluding ballot measures in June) by May.