The former CUSD Board of Trustees made tough decisions when it came to the budget of our school district. At that time, roughly 85 percent of the budget went to payroll. This was consistent with other school districts in the area.
CUSD now spends 92 percent of its budget on pay and benefits. This is not the norm. In fact, another school is in danger of losing its accreditation for spending so much of its funding on personnel costs. The accrediting authority cited this number as being the primary cause of the school's financial trouble.
The California Department of Education recently noted that CUSD is on a list of schools that might not be able to meet its financial obligations. See their website for more information.
Find out what's happening in Aliso Viejofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
I'm not suggesting that CUSD is having its accreditation threatened. At least not yet. But I am pointing out that having 92 percent of its budget dedicated to labor costs is viewed poorly by those who accredit schools.
I'm including a link to the news story about City College in San Francisco and its spending so you can read it for yourself: