Bigger Class Sizes May Be in Store for San Leandro Schools

Although Gov. Jerry Brown's state budget proposal promises to spare K-12 schools from major cuts, the San Leandro Unified School District is facing another year of budget slicing, including bigger class sizes and the elimination of counseling positions at the middle schools.

And Brown’s 2011-12  contains a big “if” for K-12 schools, which may have to issue layoff notices before they find out how much funding they'll get from the state.

School Services of California, Inc., a school consulting and advocacy firm, held a Governor’s Budget Workshop on Friday, Jan. 14, in Sacramento to explain the impacts of Brown’s budget proposal, which provides flat funding to K-12 schools — as long as voters in June choose to extend an assortment of 2009 tax hikes set to expire.

If the tax extension fails or doesn’t make it onto the ballot, schools would lose $330 per student, presenters said Friday. If the tax extensions are approved, schools are expected to lose about $19 per student.

“K-12 has not been protected in past years, but this governor has provided a path where it would be protected," said Ron Bennett, president of School Services of California, Inc. said at the workshop's afternoon session "But it’s dependent on the voters stepping up and saying, 'That’s a priority for us too.’ ”

 officials were among the hundreds who attended the morning session of the workshop, which was sold out, organizers said.

The good news, said School Board President Morgan Mack-Rose, who attended the workshop, is that the district shouldn't have to make any mid-semester cuts this spring.

But the district will almost surely have to implement some budget cuts for the 2011-12 school year.

If nothing changes, K-3 class sizes will swell to 32 students come fall 2011. In addition, middle schools counselor jobs are slated to be eliminated, and elementary school teachers would lose one of their four weekly prep periods. 

More cuts and layoffs would be necessary if voters don't approve Brown's planned ballot measure, which would renew tax extensions set to expire on June 30.

At the workshop in Sacramento, Bennett reminded attendees that the governor’s proposal was “the first shot in the battle, but not the last shot.” He said the biggest hurdle would likely be getting the Legislature to agree to send the tax extension to voters in the first place.

“I think the voters (will) pass it if it gets on the June ballot,” he said.

Bennett added that until the outcome of that June election is known and until the Legislature approves a budget, school districts will have to prepare for the worst-case scenario, including possibly notifying staff of potential layoffs and negotiating concessions from labor unions.

“You’re going to have to do that and hold your breath for about five or six months until you see what happens with that election and what happens with the budget approval after that,” Bennett told the audience.

“This is going to be really difficult for communities to accept, so I want you to truly understand how that works.”

Presenters also urged school officials to prepare by increasing their cash reserves.

“Unless you have a death wish to test your gambling expertise, be conservative,” said Joel Montero, chief executive officer of the California Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team.

San Leandro Unified School District's adopted General Fund Budget for the 2010-11 school year includes $66.5 million in expenditures.  

Over 80 percent of the district's general fund revenue comes from state funding, with local and federal funds making up the rest. 

Across California, state funding (from the General Fund) for K-12 education has fallen by 14.5 percent since 2007-8, according to School Services of California (see accompanying charts). In comparison, higher education, which includes CSU and UC schools, has lost just 1.4 percent of its funding over the same time period. 

Health and Human Services has seen its budget drop by 9.3 percent, and Corrections and Rehabilitation by 9 percent. 

State spending per K-12 student has lagged behind the rest of the country significantly since 1981-82, and is currently further behind the rest of the country than at any time in the last 40 years, according to School Services of California (see accompanying chart).

“During the good years we do the worst, and during the bad years we do the worst,” Bennett said at the presentation.

“California’s not failing children in your schools, California’s not failing children in the classrooms in your schools, California’s failing our children right here in Sacramento, and Sacramento needs to take responsibility for that.”

The Finance Committee of the San Leandro School District meets at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in Conference Room 1-3 at the District Office. A school board to discuss the budget will be held at  on Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.