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District: Budget
The school district is providing these updates on a regular basis to dispel misinformation about the ongoing state budget crisis and its effect on local schools.
Rumor: School districts may have trouble meeting payroll this year.
Fact: Despite all of the rhetoric coming out of Sacramento, we don’t see a problem regarding meeting payroll in the school district this year. While it is true that school districts depend upon state funding and California does have a cash flow problem as well as a budget problem, the California constitution states: “From all state revenues there shall first be set apart the moneys to be applied by the state for support of the public school system and public institutions of higher learning.”
Accordingly the state will have to stop payment to many entities (vendors, state employees, tax rebates to residents, etc.) before stopping payments to schools. State Controller John Chiang acknowledged this constitutional provision in a recent statement: “In order to ensure that the state can meet its constitutionally required obligation to schools and debt service, the Capitol’s budget paralysis may leave me no choice but to, in full or in part, withhold payments or to issue IOUs to other individuals and entities entitled to state payments.”
Certainly, there are actions the Legislature is considering to remedy the budget problem which would, if the governor approves, negatively impact school funding to a great degree. But the potential remedies to the state’s budget problem that we have heard so far do not cause us to believe we will have a problem meeting payroll this year.
Rumor: Recently anyone who is categorically funded received a letter indicating that there may not be money for their position next year. Some individuals receiving this letter think it is their pink slip.
Fact: These are routine notices that are issued because many categoricals are funded on a year-to-year basis. These are not pink slips.
Rumor: Any counselor without a teaching credential will be released. The school district has already decided to cut counselors.
Fact: The Board of Education has not taken any action to release any employees.
Rumor: The school year this year may be shortened by one week to three weeks.
Fact: The 2008-09 school year will not be shortened. The governor has proposed to reduce the 2009-10 school year by five days.
Rumor: One school has been told that they are losing Class Size Reduction (CSR) in grades 4 and 5 next year, but another has not. Can this be true? Are we losing CSR next year?
Fact: Some schools have used Title 1 federal funds to reduce class sizes in grades four and five. The school district has used Title 5 federal funds to support some non-Title I schools in reducing class sizes in grades four and five. Unfortunately, due to the fiscal crisis, Title 5 will not be available for this expenditure next year.
Rumor: The superintendent told principals that we will be closing schools one week early this school year for sure, but most likely 2 to 3 weeks early, essentially getting out of school at the end of May.
Fact: The superintendent has not said this. This is false.
