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Schools

The Capistrano Unified School District and Teachers Cannot Reach an Agreement - an Impasse is filed.

What does this mean for students and taxpayers?

Dawn Urbanek, Neighbor

What does this mean for students and taxpayers?

There is a great explanation of the process by CSBA - "California School Boards Association"
https://www.csba.org/TrainingAndEvents/OtherTrainingOpportunities/~/media/CSBA/Files/GovernanceResources/EducationIssues/FairFunding/DistrictFinance/2013QandNBudgetCERT.ashx

At the June 28, 2017 BOT meeting, the Board of Trustees voted to adopt it's 2017-18 budget without having concluded contracts with it's bargaining units.

Employee compensation makes up 89% of CUSD's budget.

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How does any responsible business adopt a budget without knowing 89% of its projected costs?

Despite this fact, CUSD asked Trustees voted to approve a budget that included the 5th straight year of across the board compensation increases for all employees. (See CUSD 2017-18 Budget Assumptions).

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The only way to ask for a "positive certification"of it's budget from the County was by failing to include the following items in their 2017-18 budget:

  • The cost of providing District funded Art- Music- Science to ensure that EVERY student receives instruction in core educational classes that align to minimum California State Content Standards and Curriculum Frameworks.
  • The cost of reducing class sizes in all grades to reasonable levels.
  • The cost of bring facilities up to minimal health and safety standards.
  • The cost of restoring programs and classes that have been reduced or eliminated during the great recession. Staff made the unilateral decision to stop funding GATE and other programming for high achieving students.
  • The cost of transportation (busing routes). Staff made the decision to eliminate transportation for some; but not all, Title I schools.
In an effort to maximize employee compensation, CUSD continues to allow it's students to attend school in overcrowded classrooms; with staff to student ratios that are no longer safe, in facilities that have not been fixed or maintained for 15 years. CUSD's unique curriculum choices deprive students of the classes they need to compete with their peers to get into college. Academic performance across all demographics is declining as a result of resources being spent on employee compensation and professional development, rather than providing basic educational services to ALL students.

The "Road to Recovery" for CUSD has been to ensure that district employees retire at peak salaries pensions and benefits despite the substantial harm it causes to students and taxpayers.

CUSD should be filing a "NEGATIVE" certification for it's 2017-18 Budget. Relying on fundraising and donations to fund core educational programs creates wealth based in-equities within the district that are not legal. Every student in CUSD is being deprived of their Constitutional right to a FREE minimum education.
The Average Teacher Compensation has gone from $95,673 per year in 2012-13 to $110,633 per year, while students have seen no improvement in curriculum or services.

















Through a series of MOU's CUSD and CUEA extended the 2015 contract into 2016-17 and now they hoped to make it a 3-year contract through 2018-19. I cannot find where CUSD disclosed all of these MOU's to to the Public.
http://cusdjobs-capousd-ca.schoolloop.com/file/1252868934453/1456824297974/7833684765294623106.pdf







These MOU's gave CUEA increased compensation and days out of the classroom through the use of Professional Development.


































CUSD's Press Release RE: Impasse/Fact Finding





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