Message from Superintendent Patrick Godwin Regarding the State Budget Crisis

January 27, 2009

The state's budget stalemate continues.  The legislature's failure to act impacts the future of our children and the morale and security of our valued staff members.  We know that we will have to prepare for reductions in services for the coming year(s), but the lack of direction from the state compounds the problem.     

It does appear that the governor and the Democratic leadership have agreed that funding for public education will be reduced by about nine percent, a figure that would require the Folsom Cordova Unified School District to reduce its expenditures by $10.5 million. 

Assuming the amount of the reduction has been set, the question that remains is what type of flexibility school districts will be given to craft a budget.  Some key questions include the degree that categorical funds (dollars designated for a special purpose) can be used to backfill for the loss of regular classroom revenue, and what guidelines will be used for class size reduction dollars.  Class size reduction flexibility becomes especially important for all school districts because very few districts will be able to keep low class sizes if the state remains committed to a rigid 20-to-1 formula.  If schools are given flexibility to increase up to 25 students, class size reduction becomes much more affordable.

For now, we will continue to monitor the state budget developments, including the possibility that the state might benefit from federal assistance.  Unfortunately, the timelines for taking action to reduce services and costs will force us to prepare for a worst case scenario even while we work for better funding.  Important dates in the budget development process can be found at Budget Central under Budget Development: Important Dates. 

Please note that the Budget Forums on February 10 (Mills Middle School) and February 12 (Folsom High) will be the best opportunity for you to learn more and provide comments and suggestions about the District's response to the state's budget crisis.  The Board will not receive any recommendations about budget reductions until after the public forums.

We have updated the Budget Central website to include two documents you may want to review.  First is the list of all the ideas that have been gathered for ways to reduce costs, titled "Budget Reduction Brainstorming." The second is a response to "Frequently Asked Questions" that have surfaced from the Budget Survey. 

The Budget Central website will be updated as we learn more about the state budget and as the FCUSD prepares for what will be significant challenges in the coming year. 

Please stay involved.  Please also communicate with your local legislative leaders.  We need a resolution to the state budget impasse, and we need maximum flexibility to minimize the impact on our students and staff.   

Patrick Godwin