CUSD $1.1 Billion Dollar School Facilities Bond

That is over $100 million dollars that CUSD could have spent on the Kids!

Since 2007-08 CUSD the Capistrano Unified School District has been forced to cut over $151 million dollars from it's annual budget. That represents a 32% reduction in the annual operating budget for the District. Taxpayers and parents have the right to know that during that same time period employee compensation has been protected at the expense of everything else.

Employee compensation is 90% of CUSD's budget; yet, teachers have had a single reduction in salary schedule of 1.2%. That was in 2010, as the result of the Teachers Union Strike. The mediator actually recommended a 3.7% reduction in the salary schedule.



As a tax payer and parent of a student who previously attended CUSD schools I am deeply offended that our students have been forced endure overcrowded classrooms, overworked teachers, sub-standard facilities and less instructional time then their peers in other districts so that employee compensation could be protected during tough economic times. This intentional disregard for the quality of education our students should receive has resulted in a notable decline in the academic performance of students across all demographics as evidenced by LCAP data and historic test results.

To add insult to injury, rather than restore instructional time, repair and maintain facilities, reduce class size and expand and restore cut programs CUSD chose to give employees raises for the past three years.

Now CUSD is asking taxpayers to step up and support a $1.1 billion dollar facilities bond. Now that they want more tax money, the current facilities are no longer safe or adequate for students. But they were safe and adequate from 2007-08 to the present when they chose to protect compensation rather than look after the well being of students.

CUSD made the decision to eliminate all but three plumbers during the economic downturn despite having over 16,000 plumbing work orders that were taking over 90 days to complete. See: http://disclosurecusd.blogspot.com/2016/05/capistrano-unified-school-district.html?q=16000+work+orders

2012-13 DISHONEST CUSD - NO SHARED SACRIFICE -LIARS TO THE PEOPLE

2012-13 CUSD unjustly enriched employees at the expense of students by choosing not to take $19.8 million in salary schedule rollbacks - instead choosing to use class size reductions, furlough days, cuts to programs and deferred maintenance to balance it's budget.

The 2012-13 Budget was based on the passage or failure of Prop 30.

If Prop 30 failed CUSD needed to cut it's budget by $51 million.

If Prop 30 passed, CUSD needed to cut it's budget by $30.2 million.

CUSD identified $51 million in cuts as follows:

$30.2 million:

• 1.2% Salary Schedule Reduction (From 2010 Teachers Strike per mediation - not a newly negotiated item).

• 3- Non-instructional furlough days representing a one time 1.62% pay cut for 2012-13 school year (From 2010 Teachers Strike per mediation - not a newly negotiated item).

• 5 - Instructional furlough days representing a one time 2.7% pay cut for the 2012-13 school year.

• Delay of Step and Column for 1/2 year of .5% (means there was a 1/2 year Step and Column salary increase)

$19.8 million:

• 10 - Instructional Furlough Days representing a one time 5.4% pay cut for 2012-13 school year

• 1.5% Salary Schedule Reduction

• Savings from each 1% in Salary Rollback = $2,884,001 (1.5% = $4,326,001.5)

Management (CUMA) Each 1% = $ 194,030
Classified (CSEA) Each 1% = $ 589,227
Certificated (CUEA) Each 1% = $2,031,912
Teamsters Each 1% = $ 68,832

When Prop 30 passed, CUSD unilaterally (without public input) choose not to implement $19.8 million salary reductions. CUSD chose to maintain maximum salary schedules rather than provide students with high quality staff, program expansion and variety, beneficial teacher-pupil ratios and class sizes, modern equipment and materials, and high-quality buildings.

CUSD intentionally mis-represented the facts to the public. When the 2012-13 Budget was adopted, the CUSD press release stated:

"Budget Balanced with Employee Concessions - Solutions to $51 million Deficit Found Through Negotiations".

CUSD actively "advocated" for the passage of Prop 30.

CUSD threatened parents with a total of 18 furlough days if voters did not vote to approve Prop 30.

CUSD remained silent on a competing education funding bill, Prop 38.

When Prop 30 passed the CUSD press release stated:

"Election means no changes to Calendar- Student Instructional Days Remain at 175; no additional employee pay cuts".

The result: employees were unjustly enriched by not taking the $19.8 million is salary schedule reductions.

That is $19.8 million per year since July 1, 2012 x 4 years = $80 million (or some portion thereof) that could have gone to facilities maintenance, program restoration, class size reduction and increased instructional time.

Average Teacher Compensation $95,673

For Full Documentation see: People for Student Rights- Count 9:http://peopleforstudentrights.com/index.php/complaint/count-9

2013-14 CROOKED CUSD - NO SHARED SACRIFICE -LIARS TO THE PEOPLECUSD's 2013-14 Budget was suppose to be based on a COLA only budget.
A COLA only budget did not contain sufficient revenue to trigger salary restoration language resulting from the 2010 teachers union strike.
As a result of the Governor's May budget revision, CUSD was projected to receive and additional $8.42 million in "new" LCFF revenue. Because this was a "projection", the State Board of Education instructed districts not to include new LCFF money in the adoption of their 2013-14 budget.
CUSD in collaboration with it's employee bargaining units CUEA, CSEA, Teamsters, and unrepresented CUMA did so anyway, and claimed that the $8.62 million in new LCFF revenue + the COLA triggered salary restorations in the amount of $5.62 million.
CUSD adopted it's 2013-14 Budget without having employment contracts in place as required by law, and failed to file an impasse as required by law. At that time employee compensation represented over 92% of the District's entire budget.
After restoring their salaries, CUSD used 3 instructional furlough days, class size increases, cuts to programs and deferred maintenance to find $16.8 million in cuts needed to balance it’s budget.
$5.62 million since July 1 2013 X 3 years = $16.9 million that could have gone to facilities maintenance, program restoration, class size reduction and increased instructional time.
For Full Documentation see: People for Student Rights- Count 10:http://peopleforstudentrights.com/index.php/complaint/count-10
Average Teacher Compensation: $105,340

2014-15 EVIL CUSD - NO SHARED SACRIFICE -LIARS TO THE PEOPLEOn June 25, 2014, CUSD adopted the 2014-15 Budget without 2014-15 employment contracts in place (90+ % of CUSD's total budget).
Article 12.1 of the Contract between CUEA and CUSD for 2013-14 requires both parties to negotiate in good faith to complete new contracts before the old contract expires or file an Impasse. Both parties breached Article 12 of the 2013-14 contract.
On June 30, 2014 CUSD/CUEA 2013-14 Contract Expired - No Impasse was filed.
The parties failed to negotiate in good faith to execute a new employment contract for 2014-15 prior to adopting the 2014-15 Budget. The 2014-15 Adopted Budget materially changed instructional time, class size and employee compensation. The 2014-15 Adopted Budget already contained money to restore teachers work year to 185 days (eliminate furlough days) and to reduce class size when MOU expired.
"Class sizes per negotiated agreement" (aka meaning no class size reductions)
On March 30, 2015 (9 months late) CUSD and CUEA reached a tentative Agreement for the period July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015. The retro-active agreement increased CUEA compensation by $4,084,000. The new Contract increased the compensation by 3% (2% salary schedule increase and a 1% off schedule collaboration payment). The Salary schedule increase is retro-active beginning February 1, 2015.
That is another $4 million per year X 2 years = $8 million that could have gone to facilities maintenance, program restoration, class size reduction and increased instructional time.
Average Teacher Compensation $108,392

For Full Documentation see: People for Student Rights- Count 11: http://peopleforstudentrights.com/index.php/complaint/count-11

2015-16 CROOKED CUSD - EQUIVOCATOR - LIARS TO THE PEOPLEOn March 22, 2016 CUSD entered into a retro-active agreement covering the period July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2017.
My Letter to Trustees:

Trustees:

Tonight you will be voting on employment contracts with CUEA (Teachers) and CSEA (Classified Staff). As such, I wanted to remind you that you have been elected by the people to represent the interests of taxpayers and students in all matters before the Board. You have a legal fiduciary duty to make sure that the interests of students and taxpayers are represented during the collective bargaining process.

The proposed contract with CUEA harms both taxpayers and students. If you vote for this contract you will be in breach of your fiduciary duty to taxpayers and students for the following reasons:

1. This represents the 4th consecutive year of compensation increases that are funded by denying educational opportunity for students to have high quality staff, program expansion and variety, beneficial teacher-pupil ratios and class sizes, modern equipment and materials, and high quality buildings.

• 2013-14 $105,340
• 2014-15 $108,392
• 2015-16 $110,633 if contract is approved tonight

This Article is to long for the patch - to finish go to:

http://disclosurecusd.blogspot.com/2016/07/cusd-11-billion-dollar-bond-no-money-to.html