The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has been hit hard with budget cuts that will leave it with a $113 million shortfall, which it will need to bridge in the next two years.
According to a Jan. 20, 2010, letter, Superintendent Carlos A. Garcia informed employees that the projected shortfall for the fiscal year 2011-2012 would be $30 million more than the expected $83 million shortfall originally calculated, due to unforeseen reductions in the Revenue Limits and the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds.
The letter outlines some possible routes of action to bridge the shortfall. Garcia notes increases in class size, which are expected to reduce expenditures by $300,000 to $500,000 for each one-student increase per grade-level as one among other possibilities.
He noted five other ways to reduce costs. Reducing summer school programs is expected to yield $4.6 million in savings through fiscal year 2011-2012. Reducing general transportation, is expected to cut $1.5 million a year. Suspending sabbaticals, which currently cost approximately $2 million per year is another proposed cut. Freezing step & column increases could save $5.8 million a year, and suspending and reducing Advanced Placement preparation are other possible ways of bridging the shortfall.
Superintendent Garcia wrote, “Prior to the release of the governor’s proposed budget, SFUSD staff projected a shortfall through the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011-2012 of $83 million in the Unrestricted General Fund (UGF). The governor’s just-released proposed budget includes significantly reduced amounts for the Revenue Limit and State Fiscal Stabilization Funds. Staff now projects a UGF shortfall through FY 2011-2012 of $113 million.”
He was less than pleased with the decisions in Sacramento, stating in a board meeting, “While we need to protest ... we also need to act, until our governor finds other ways of balancing his budget and not resting the burden of it on our children and the future of this great state.”
These new cuts will be added to $45.5 million in previous cuts to the resources and departments funded by the Public Education Enrichment Fund, which provides sport, library, arts, and music (SLAM) programs, General Educational Services such as violence prevention services, wellness centers, and funding half-time Learning Support Professional for students, among other things.
The story was different according to the governor in Sacramento. Gov. Shwarzenegger said in his 2010-2011 Budget Speech on Jan. 8, 2010, “Our state, our economy, our future is so dependent on education … we must protect education.”
Despite some budget cuts in education, Schwarzenegger noted that he is committed to President Obama’s Race to the Top Initiative. He said he will take action to further its progress by “modify[ing] state law adversely affecting lowest performing schools and forcing the retention and rehiring of ineffective teachers” by proposing an end to the standing provisions which give teachers with seniority amnesty against job cuts, in addition to other steps.
“Under current law, layoffs, transfers, assignments, reassignments, and reappointments must occur strictly on the basis of seniority ... This forces school districts to retain and rehire ineffective teachers solely based on their seniority status .... The governor is proposing to give school districts flexibility to layoff, assign, reassign, transfer, and rehire teachers based on a school’s skill and subject matter needs instead of strictly teacher seniority.”
The budget cuts affect SFUSD, the eighth largest school district in California. The district serves some 56,000 students, with 72 elementary and k-8 schools, 13 middle schools, 19 senior high schools, 37 state-funded preschool sites, and 9 active charter schools.
According to a Jan. 20, 2010, letter, Superintendent Carlos A. Garcia informed employees that the projected shortfall for the fiscal year 2011-2012 would be $30 million more than the expected $83 million shortfall originally calculated, due to unforeseen reductions in the Revenue Limits and the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds.
The letter outlines some possible routes of action to bridge the shortfall. Garcia notes increases in class size, which are expected to reduce expenditures by $300,000 to $500,000 for each one-student increase per grade-level as one among other possibilities.
He noted five other ways to reduce costs. Reducing summer school programs is expected to yield $4.6 million in savings through fiscal year 2011-2012. Reducing general transportation, is expected to cut $1.5 million a year. Suspending sabbaticals, which currently cost approximately $2 million per year is another proposed cut. Freezing step & column increases could save $5.8 million a year, and suspending and reducing Advanced Placement preparation are other possible ways of bridging the shortfall.
Superintendent Garcia wrote, “Prior to the release of the governor’s proposed budget, SFUSD staff projected a shortfall through the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011-2012 of $83 million in the Unrestricted General Fund (UGF). The governor’s just-released proposed budget includes significantly reduced amounts for the Revenue Limit and State Fiscal Stabilization Funds. Staff now projects a UGF shortfall through FY 2011-2012 of $113 million.”
He was less than pleased with the decisions in Sacramento, stating in a board meeting, “While we need to protest ... we also need to act, until our governor finds other ways of balancing his budget and not resting the burden of it on our children and the future of this great state.”
These new cuts will be added to $45.5 million in previous cuts to the resources and departments funded by the Public Education Enrichment Fund, which provides sport, library, arts, and music (SLAM) programs, General Educational Services such as violence prevention services, wellness centers, and funding half-time Learning Support Professional for students, among other things.
The story was different according to the governor in Sacramento. Gov. Shwarzenegger said in his 2010-2011 Budget Speech on Jan. 8, 2010, “Our state, our economy, our future is so dependent on education … we must protect education.”
Despite some budget cuts in education, Schwarzenegger noted that he is committed to President Obama’s Race to the Top Initiative. He said he will take action to further its progress by “modify[ing] state law adversely affecting lowest performing schools and forcing the retention and rehiring of ineffective teachers” by proposing an end to the standing provisions which give teachers with seniority amnesty against job cuts, in addition to other steps.
“Under current law, layoffs, transfers, assignments, reassignments, and reappointments must occur strictly on the basis of seniority ... This forces school districts to retain and rehire ineffective teachers solely based on their seniority status .... The governor is proposing to give school districts flexibility to layoff, assign, reassign, transfer, and rehire teachers based on a school’s skill and subject matter needs instead of strictly teacher seniority.”
The budget cuts affect SFUSD, the eighth largest school district in California. The district serves some 56,000 students, with 72 elementary and k-8 schools, 13 middle schools, 19 senior high schools, 37 state-funded preschool sites, and 9 active charter schools.
