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North County schools face perfect financial storm |
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Friday, 12 March 2010 |
Board president
sorry for initial talk
of schools closing
By Wendilyn Grasseschi
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
As much as another $2.2 million in budget deficits over the next two years may force northern Mono County’s only school district to lay off as many as eight more of its 52 teachers and administrators and cut other staff and programs next year – even as the district reels from at least six layoffs and a $1 million deficit announced in late February.
The $2.2 million in needed cuts could directly or indirectly affect all of the approximately 480 students in the Eastern Sierra Unified School District’s (ESUSD) eight schools, including those in the larger elementary and high schools in Antelope Valley and Coleville, as well as smaller, specialized schools such as Eastern Sierra Academy and Lee Vining Community School.
The district had an average total budget of about $10 million for each of the last two years.
The staffing cuts noted above would amount to about $1.2 million, leaving the district still scrambling to find more cuts.
A combination of falling property tax revenues from the county, less money from the state than expected, recent raises and expansions of the district’s staff and increases in educational programs all combined to make next year a kind of “perfect storm” for the district, said ESUSD Superintendent Don Clark.
“We thought we would have to make some cuts, but the size of it was far greater than anticipated,” Clark said.
“I don’t think we could have prevented it unless we had a crystal ball,” he said. “We could have been more conservative last year, but it was the board’s attitude that we had a healthy reserve and that we would carry through for another year. We have given teachers and administrators raises, yes, but they are still paid a lower salary than anywhere else in the county. We have increased staffing and programs over the past several years because we did have enough income coming in from property taxes and the state to do so.
“This is a huge shock. It tears into the integrity of what we have been trying to do up here.”
Parents not impressed
But in northern Mono County, the news sparked a barrage of calls and e-mails from frustrated and angry parents who weren’t so sure the problem was entirely avoidable.
Parents were especially incensed when it was announced Tuesday night at a parent/teacher meeting in Bridgeport that the cuts (if adopted by the school board) could mean completely eliminating several small schools, including Bridgeport’s Eastern Sierra Academy, Lee Vining Community Day School and the High Desert Academy in Benton (these schools have a total of 34 students).
“What I want to know is where did the money go,” asked Ann Dozier of June Lake, whose son Tristan, goes to Eastern Sierra Academy.
“These kids work really hard, this is one of the top ranked high schools in the country and it’s not an easy school to get into. Where did the money go?”
“And why are such drastic measures being ramrodded through so swiftly?” asked her husband, Joe Blommer.
Although the situation is extremely serious and large cuts do need to be made, it was a “big mistake” to say that entire schools might be eliminated, said School Board President Margie Beaver Thursday morning. The cuts could come from anywhere, including negotiations with teachers and administrators for lower pay, as long as they are done, she said.
“I apologize for that mistake from the bottom of my heart,” she said.
“But we do need to think outside the box, we do need to deal with this, and somewhere, somehow, it’s going to affect someone’s job.”
The possible cuts were contained in a resolution that will go to the school board at an emergency meeting on Friday, March 12, at 7 p.m. at Lee Vining High School. The resolution contains language that indicates the three schools mentioned above would “no longer operate” if the board approves the resolution. The cuts would go into effect at the end of this school year.
Beaver acknowledged the damage was done, however, and said she knows the school board will have to face the music Friday night.
All options will be put on the table, she said. The public is invited to attend.
What happened?
The obvious next question is, what happened? Why did the district end up with what amounts to a deficit of more than 10 percent of its approximately $10 million budget?
Here’s how Clark and the district finance officer Jessica Denison explain how the district got to such a precarious situation:
• ESUSD became what is called a “basic aid” district three years ago for the first time ever. This means that the county property taxes had increased in the district to the point that triggered the state to withdraw most of its support.
• The district began adding programs that first year and increased salaries over the course of the three years to make them more competitive with nearby areas. The district ended last year with a 27 percent reserve, according to Denison.
• The “healthy reserve” seemed big enough to accommodate potential problems, according to Beaver, and the district upgraded its phone system and bought more text books, still maintaining a seven percent reserve (at this time).
• But then the bad economic news from the county hit and the state announced it would make more cuts.
• By March, the district realized it would be facing a $2.2 million deficit for next year and unless it wanted to wipe out its entire reserve, it would have to make cuts. More bad news kept coming.
“By March, we realized that if we were to continue spending at the current level, we would have a $2.2 million deficit by June 2011,” Denison said.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 19 March 2010 )
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