SPECIAL BOARD MEETING: February
19, 2008
ATTENDANCE:
Board: April Treece,
Administrative Staff: Superintendent
1. CALL TO ORDER:
President Treece called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. in the Board Room at
the
PUBLIC COMMENT: None
CLOSED SESSION: The Board adjourned to Closed
Session at 5:01 p.m. in Room 6 at the
2. RECONVENE OPEN SESSION: The Board returned to Open Session in the Board Room at the
3. PUBLIC COMMENT:
None
4. Public Hearing and Plan of Action to
Address Decrease in Revenue from the State of
With the Governor’s
proposed cuts to K-12 grade education, funding for public education is expected
to be reduced by $4.4 billion statewide. For
Staff report McHenry used a
Power Point presentation to explain the impact of the Governor’s proposal on
the District. He said the District must cut as close to $14 million as possible
from its 2008-09 budget. He has begun developing a list of possible cuts so
consideration and action can begin at this meeting and continue at the regular
Board meeting on February 25 and at a special meeting on March 4, and conclude
at the regular Board meeting on March 11. By law, certificated employees whose
jobs may be reduced or eliminated in the upcoming school year must be notified
of that possibility by March 15.
Public hearing
Treece opened the public hearing at 7:31 p.m. John Parker, Mt. Diablo
High parent, said the school needs the vice principal position that is on the
list. He recalled that another parent, John Ferrante, suggested having
advertising on school buses.
5. Consider Approval of Budget
Reductions
On January 10, Governor Schwarzenegger declared a State of
Criteria for Budget Reductions
To get to a decision on position and possible program reduction, the
following Board of Education-adopted budget reduction criteria are being used:
1. Insure all campuses are safe for
students and staff
2. Honor collective bargaining contracts
and comply with local, state, and federal mandates
3. Maintain programs for students
·
Analyze
program effectiveness
·
Eliminate
programs that are ineffective
·
Maintain
programs that are effective
4. Protect as many positions as possible
5. Honor our commitments and our
promises to the public e.g. Measure A and Measure C, Kindergarten Class Size
Reduction
6. Affect expenditure reductions across
all programs
7. Shift expenditures to grants and
other funding source where possible
Staff report
McHenry
presented a budget reduction list comprised of 29 items. He recommended the
Board act on the following items at this time: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 17, 18, 19, 21,
23, 24, 25, 28, 29.
Board consideration of each recommendation
Item 1: Reduce one high school vice principal position.
Board comment Strange noted that
the position is at Mt. Diablo High and asked if the money the school receives
under the state Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA) could be used to fund
it. McHenry said QEIA money must first be used for class size reduction and
then for counselors. Allen said he would not cut any positions on this list if
there were not a budget crisis. Eberhart agreed, but felt this position is too
vital to the Mt. Diablo High community to be cut. In response to Mayo, McHenry
said that if action at the state level results in the District budget cuts not
having to be as deep as those the Board approves, the Board could consider
holding community meetings, as it has in the past, to determine the priority
for add-backs. Mayo said she is hearing that the Legislative Analyst’s report on
the state budget is going to be more dire than the Governor’s. Treece said she was
happy to dedicate General Purpose funds to schools with the most need when
additional state money became available in 2006. She is distressed to have to
reduce that funding at this time and hopes the Board will be able to consider
dedicating General Purpose funds to these schools again.
Board action Allen moved, Mayo
seconded, and the Board voted 4-1-0 (Eberhart, no) to reduce one high school
vice principal position. Fiscal impact: $102,833
Item 3: Reduce one secretary position at each high school.
Eberhart moved, Strange seconded, and the Board voted 5-0-0
to reduce one secretary position at each high school. Fiscal impact: $341,225
Item 4: Reduce 0.20
Mayo moved, Allen seconded, and the Board voted 5-0-0 to
reduce 0.20 Community School Coordinator at
Item 5: Reduce 2.25 Instructional Assistants – bilingual.
Strange moved, Eberhart seconded, and the Board voted 5-0-0
to reduce 2.25 Instructional Assistants – bilingual. Fiscal impact: $89,911
Item 6: Reduce 1.40 FTE Campus Supervisor and Campus
Supervisor II at secondary schools
Board comment Noting that some
schools affected by the removal of a campus supervisor are ones that face the
greatest challenges, Eberhart said he could not support this item without
seeing a plan to show the school can continue without the services. In response
to Treece, McHenry explained that the reduction is not in full positions but in
hours that were added to positions when the District received some additional
state revenue and the Board allocated some of it to schools in need.
Board action Allen moved, Mayo
seconded, and the Board voted 3-2-0 (Eberhart, Strange, no) to reduce 1.40 FTE
Campus Supervisor and Campus Supervisor II at secondary schools. Fiscal impact:
$71,096
Item 17: Utilize money budgeted for
GASB 45 for the 2007-08 school year to offset expenses in the 2008-09 school
year
Board comment In response to
Mayo, McHenry said that in response to GASB 45, money was set aside for employee
retirement obligations in case the Board wanted to put it in irrevocable trust.
He recommended using the money allocated for this year, but cautioned that the
District does need a plan to address retiree benefit costs. Nicoll reported
that the District contracted for an actuarial study last August, but has not
yet received it.
Board action Eberhart moved,
Allen seconded, and the Board voted 5-0-0 to utilize money budgeted for GASB 45
for the 2007-08 school year to offset expenses in the 2008-09 school year.
Fiscal impact: $1,100,000
Item 18: Utilize money set aside for the credential penalty
to offset expenses in 2008-09 school year.
Board comment In response to
Strange, McHenry said a recent progress report on an investigation to determine
whether all District teachers held appropriate credentials when they started
their assignments in 2005-06 is finding that the District met the requirements and,
therefore, may not have to pay a penalty that the state could have imposed for
non-compliance.
Board action Eberhart moved,
Strange seconded, and the Board voted 5-0-0 to utilize money set aside for the
credential penalty to offset expenses in 2008-09 school year. Fiscal impact:
$1,423,073
Item 19: Utilize 50% of the site and district carryover.
Board comment In response to
Allen, McHenry said the goal is to take 50 percent of each school’s and
department’s carryover funds. If that action doe not reach the target of $2.1
million, he will talk to the department and program managers to see which can
give up more funds. Eberhart expressed concern that some schools will lose more
funds than others, that some are saving money for a large purchase in an
upcoming school year. McHenry said adjustments will be made in cases where a
large, essential purchase is planned. He has talked to site and district
administrators about the possibility of using their carryover funds.
Board action Eberhart moved,
Mayo seconded, and the Board voted 5-0-0 to utilize 50% of the site and
district carryover. Fiscal impact: $2,100,000
Item 21: Eliminate 17 teaching positions over formula.
Eberhart moved, Allen seconded, and the Board voted 5-0-0
Eliminate 17 teaching positions over formula. Fiscal impact: $939,930
Item 23: Increase middle school
staffing ratio from 29.5 to 30. Diablo
Allen moved, Strange seconded, and the Board voted 5-0-0 to
increase middle school staffing ratio from 29.5 to 30. Diablo
Item 24: Increase high school staffing ratio from 30.5 to
31.
Eberhart moved, Mayo seconded, and the Board voted 5-0-0 to
increase the high school staffing ratio from 30.5 to 31. Fiscal impact:
$298,566 (5.4 FTE)
Item 25: Increase Alternative Education formula from 25 to
27.
Eberhart moved, Mayo seconded, and the Board voted 5-0-0 to
Increase Alternative Education formula from 25 to 27. Fiscal impact: $110,580
(2.0 FTE)
Board comment Eberhart thanked
the superintendent for providing a considerable amount of summary budget
information to Board members before this meeting. He asked for an explanation
of some of the changes from the adopted 2007-08 budget and the revised budget
for that period. McHenry said he and Nicoll would be happy to meet with Board
members to review specifics in the budget. Eberhart said school finance is very
complicated, so it’s important to be able to understand not just the budget but
to know what questions to ask about it. He also expressed concern about the
budget criteria and how the priority of each item is determined, particularly
in regard to judgments about a program’s effectiveness. Pointing out that only
one member of the public was in attendance, he said he was “appalled” that
community members are not participating in the budget reduction process and
encouraged the public to attend. Mayo noted that several schools promoted
tonight’s meeting in their newsletters..
6. ADJOURNMENT: Treece
adjourned the meeting at 8:26 p.m.