Message from Superintendent Patrick Godwin Regarding the State Budget Crisis

June 5, 2009

Budget projections go from bad to worse.

Based on the budget adopted by the state in February, the District had to reduce its expenditures by $6.9 million dollars for this school year (2008-09).  This was on top of $6.0 million in cuts that had already occurred before the start of the 2008-09 school year.

Following the failure of Propositions 1A-1E, on May 12 the governor proposed "mid-year" cuts that reduced our income by another $4.1 million dollars, a figure that took almost all of the $4.9 million we received from the federal State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF).

All of these reductions roll forward into 2009-10, along with an additional reduction in per-student funding.  At this point, the FCUSD is projected to have to cut $14,770,000 from the budget for the 2009-10 school year.  And it could get worse.  The governor is now proposing a reduction in the amount we receive for home-to-school transportation and we have been warned that if the state keeps its welfare program that the cuts will come from education.

In summary, we will be expected to operate our schools with about $21 million less than we received for 2007-08.  That equates to a 15% reduction since 2007-08 with no reduction in the number of students or relief from escalating costs.    

See the June 4 Board meeting PowerPoint (Click Here for June 4 Budget Update) for more details about the budget projections, including the long-term projections for 2010-11 and 2011-12. 

Hard choices and limited options

On Thursday, June 4, I provided the FCUSD Governing Board with a preliminary and unfinished recommendation for the 2009-10 budget. 

The recommendations are divided up in several sections.  The first section lists the reductions that were proposed based on the February budget.  They total about $6.2 million.

The next section lists proposed reductions we have added to the list since the governor's May 12 proposal.  These cuts total $4.2 million. (Click Here for Initial Reductions)

Added together, the February recommendations and initial May recommendations total $10.4 million, leaving an additional $4.3 million that will need to be cut to balance our 2009-10 budget.

The next section, titled additional options, lists items that could be reduced to reach the $14.7 million target.  You will see that the already painful cuts become almost unbearable as we may have to take drastic actions such as reducing counselors, increasing class sizes, closing libraries, shortening the school day for high school juniors and seniors, and/or reducing or eliminating clubs and athletics.  (Click Here for Additional Options/Considerations)

Following the section on additional options is a list of budget reductions that must be negotiated with our employee associations. 

The Folsom Cordova Administrators Association has committed to two furlough days. 

We continue to have discussions with the Folsom Cordova Education Association (FCEA), the union that represents the teachers and other certificated staff members, and the California School Employees Association (CSEA), the union that represents support staff such as bus drivers, administrative assistants, custodians, and campus monitors.  However, at this point neither association has committed to furlough days or any other compensation adjustments. 

The final list consists of three items that could help reduce expenditures, but they would require legislative action.  The first two are part of what is called a Tier I categorical (special fund) program.  While the legislature allows some categorical funds to be used to solve the budget crisis, the Tier I categorical funds are not flexible and must be used for specific purposes. 

The final item is related to what might be possible if the state eliminated all of the penalties for exceeding 20 students in grades K, 1, 2, and 3.  If the state did eliminate the penalties, the District would have to consider raising the class size from the current proposal (24-to-1) to some higher number, though not as high as 32-to-1.  (Click Here for Negotiable Items)

What next?

The governor's proposal has not yet been approved by the legislature.  The State Controller has stated that absent a budget by June 15, the state will run out of cash in the summer and will have very little chance of acquiring loans, especially now that President Obama has indicated he will not guarantee loans for California. 

Optimists can hope that the legislature will provide more funding for schools than the governor proposes. 

However, the governor and the legislature--including those typically supportive of public education--are saying that they "heard the voters on May 19," and will be solving the budget crisis via deeper cuts, and not with new taxes or loans.  There is no one familiar with the legislature and funding for public schools that believes public school funding will improve.  Some feel we are in for still more reductions. 

Our promise

The Governing Board has vowed to be transparent in all of its considerations.  We will keep you informed of all of our considerations and recommendations.  The most accurate and complete information will be posted at this location on our website, and we will keep it up to date.    

As we add new ideas and/or add details to existing ideas, we will share those with you to the extent possible.  In some cases, because of privacy rights and to protect individuals from criticism, I may withhold names or other pieces of information until it is appropriate to make an announcement.  Please also keep in mind that we may consider and study many possibilities, but that does not necessarily mean that the idea will become part of the final recommendation. 

As I stated in the May 29 budget update, the most damaging aspect of the budget crisis is the potential to harm relationships. 

With fewer adults in schools, there are fewer opportunities for students to find the adult(s) that will influence and guide them.  Schools in the nation funded at the national average have 64 teachers and 3.4 administrators per 1000 students.  In California the average school has 48 teachers and 2.2 administrators, and that is before this round of cuts and reductions.    

With decisions being made to reduce positions and services, there will be strong disagreements about the choices.

I would suggest that now is a time for us to exercise patience and understanding.  In particular, please do not participate in circulating rumors and conjecture.  These are difficult times, and we do not need to add to our challenges by succumbing to unwarranted FEAR (False Expectations Appear Real).

If you have a concern or question, ask the person most responsible, or ask me.  Together we will get through this mess.

I look forward to what I believe will ultimately be a ground swell for public education, if not for next year, then very soon.  People who care about children and our future will eventually demand better from our state.     

     

Patrick Godwin