OUSD Plans For Next Round Of Budget Cuts

Schools search for $1.6 million in cuts for next year, $800k for 2010-2011

By Sondra Murphy
The Ojai Unified School District has the dubious distinction of being known as the poster child of declining enrollment of Ventura County schools and the state budget crisis is aggravating the financial fallout from that condition.
“It is in dire straits,” said Ventura County Superin-tendent of Schools Stanley Mantooth. “Declining enrollment has been with us in Ventura County overall now for at least four years, some places more than others. Ojai has had the particular challenges with declining enrollment for a decade or so.
“Every time you lose a student, the district loses in the neighborhood of $9,000 to $10,000. When you lose students it’s not easy to cut back proportionately. OUSD in particular has done an excellent job in preserving its programs and cutting everything they can as far away from the classrooms as they can. It is now looking at its core programs, and that is not unique to Ojai. It is a terrible situation and the economy might be lending a hand there.”
Ojai Unified School district held a special governing board study session Monday to begin early planning for its 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 budgets. Fresh from announcing its first-ever qualified certification last week, board members, administrators, staff and community met to look over preliminary numbers and formulate strategies.
Superintendent Tim Baird and Dannielle Pusatere, assistant superintendent of business and administrative services, submitted draft reports that broke down from which part of the $25 million budget each department’s supporting funds originated. The packet also contained dollar figures associated with programs and schools to aid the board in making $1.6 million in anticipated cuts for next year and $800,000 the following year. The information was intended to get the budget cutting process started and is expected to be continuously updated and fine-tuned as state budget decisions are made known.
“We are not going to solve the budget issue this evening,” said Baird. “We are still in the input stage and will be there really for the course of the rest of the school year.”
Dollar figures were not yet attached to specific positions. Vice president Kathi Smith said the process would be more efficient, “If we could get the dollar amount for each site and each department.
Member Pauline Mercado agreed. “Rather than backtrack, I need to have all the information in front of me. Looking at these FTEs (full-time equivalent job statistics), it’s really hard to be able to determine the cost. We need to have the dollar amount.”
Pusatere explained that it would be difficult to estimate the savings of cutting jobs because of the varying pay rates due to seniority. “It might not be accurate because you might be looking at the cost of a senior position, but bump a less senior position in your cuts,” she said.
“We understand why you didn’t put it in, but we need to know all the prices,” said Smith. “It’s just too abstract.”
“We need total salaries of everyone in the district,” said member Steve Fields.
“The budget numbers are not exact,” said Baird. “The missing component is staff recommendations. We will get the hard numbers for any recommendations and put them on the list for subsequent meetings.”
“I would like to know grade-by-grade class size reductions,” said clerk Rikki Horne.
“Also how many staff would be affected, if we eliminate it,” President Linda Taylor added.
Possible strategy plans presented to the board included one-year, two-year and quick-response plans. Baird said that, at this point, administration is recommending a two-year plan because it would be the least disruptive to the curriculum. “In a one-year plan, you essentially make all the cuts you need to make, but you have nothing left to cut the next year,” he said. “In a two-year plan you say let’s do some nasty cuts, but not all in year one and go into the reserves, knowing we still don’t have the end to the two-year solution, but in case something else could be done. But you have to refill your reserves the next year. Right now, I’m leaning toward the two-year plan because the one-year looks really devastating and you’ve used one-time monies.”
The quick response plan involves negative certifications that bring in the state and help districts qualify for 20-year emergency loans. That method results in loss of board control and, usually, the superintendent, substituting a state manager to make decisions based on financial assets and not necessarily the students’ best interest.
In the information packet, Baird included some sample plans of other California school districts going through similar struggles and that have submitted negative certification budgets this year.
“Some districts are looking at rolling back salary schedules and reductions of work days,” Baird said. OUSD currently has 184 work days and must have at least 180.
Two public speakers were critical of the way OUSD has handled the budgeting process. “I feel you are completely unrealistic to use the governor’s October budget,” said Bill Gilbreth. “If you don’t really look at what is likely to be, you’re likely to make the wrong decision.” Gilbreth pointed to that opinion as why he did not support Measure P in the most recent election. The measure proposed a seven-year tax of $89 per parcel in the OUSD boundaries.
Pusatere said that the district was awaiting an update from the state sometime next month, which is why some of the estimates are unknown.
“If you don’t cut salaries, you’re not showing the public that you’re taking honest cuts,” said Ron Wilson. “I think overall your service is outstanding, but it’s a very, very difficult process for the public to understand.”
“I can appreciate what Bill and Mr. Wilson have to say because we know this is dire,” said Kathleen Smith, “but we have to look at everything.”
“What’s upsetting me is that my kindergartner is not going to get the same education that I received,” said parent Marianne Ratcliff. “Ojai should be ashamed of itself for not passing the parcel tax. Mr. Gilbreth’s letter to the editor made me angry and I wasn’t angry tonight until I just heard it again. I’m dedicated to raising the $7,000 to put another parcel tax on the ballot and swaying Mr. Gilbreth to write another letter to the editor encouraging support.”
Kathleen Smith told the board that local parent organizations are beginning a campaign to get Measure P supporter to donate $89 to OUSD.
“I appreciate your efforts and that you are continuing to work on this,” district employee Chuck Crawford told the board. “I understand categorical funding, but it’s hard to explain that to someone who’s just lost their job. I try watching the budget and it’s hard to have confidence in the process.”
Meiners Oaks teacher John Hook boiled down the emotions associated with the meeting. “What is going to happen to the children, with no support services for students who are struggling?” he asked. “We need to realize what we’ll be losing in human terms.”
“And as we shed employees, it impacts the economy here,” said vice president Smith.
“As a union, I think it’s time to put our differences aside and work together in these difficult times,” said president of the Ojai Federation of Teachers Martha Ditchfield.
“In January, we will find out about our midyear cuts,” said Taylor. “On Jan. 13, we’ll have a continuation of our budget discussion and have more specific numbers. School funding is very complicated with all its categoricals and how it’s spent and how we need to get loans every year because we don’t get the money we’re supposed to. I appreciate people who keep coming to these meetings.”
“I want to thank John Hook and those people who talked about the faces of our employees,” said Horne. “All of these people represent our students and that’s why we’re all here. The thought of obliterating the school district that my daughter still attends is devastating.”
originated. The packet also contained dollar figures associated with programs and schools to aid the board in making $1.6 million in anticipated cuts for next year and $800,000 the following year. The information was intended to get the budget cutting process started and is expected to be continuously updated and fine-tuned as state budget decisions are made known.
“We are not going to solve the budget issue this evening,” said Baird. “We are still in the input stage and will be there really for the course of the rest of the school year.”
Dollar figures were not yet attached to specific positions. Vice president Kathi Smith said the process would be more efficient, “If we could get the dollar amount for each site and each department.
Member Pauline Mercado agreed. “Rather than backtrack, I need to have all the information in front of me. Looking at these FTEs (full-time equivalent job statistics), it’s really hard to be able to determine the cost. We need to have the dollar amount.”
Pusatere explained that it would be difficult to estimate the savings of cutting jobs because of the varying pay rates due to seniority. “It might not be accurate because you might be looking at the cost of a senior position, but bump a less senior position in your cuts,” she said.
“The budget numbers are not exact,” said Baird. “The missing component is staff recommendations. We will get the hard numbers for any recommendations and put them on the list for subsequent meetings.”
“I would like to know grade-by-grade class size reductions,” said clerk Rikki Horne.
“Also how many staff would be affected, if we eliminate it,” President Linda Taylor added.
Possible strategy plans presented to the board included one-year, two-year and quick-response plans. Baird said that, at this point, administration is recom-mending a two-year plan because it would be the least disruptive to the curriculum. “In a one-year plan, you essentially make all the cuts you need to make, but you have nothing left to cut the next year,” he said. “In a two-year plan you say let’s do some nasty cuts, but not all in year one and go into the reserves, knowing we still don’t have the end to the two-year solution, but in case something else could be done. But you have to refill your reserves the next year. Right now, I’m leaning toward the two-year plan because the one-year looks really devastating and you’ve used one-time monies.”
The quick response plan involves negative certifications that bring in the state and help districts qualify for 20-year emergency loans. That method results in loss of board control and, usually, the superintendent, substituting a state manager to make decisions based on financial assets and not necessarily the students’ best interest.
In the information packet, Baird included some sample plans of other California school districts going through similar struggles and that have submitted negative cert-ification budgets this year.
“Some districts are looking at rolling back salary schedules and reductions of work days,” Baird said. OUSD currently has 184 work days and must have at least 180.
Two public speakers were critical of the way OUSD has handled the budgeting process. “I feel you are completely unrealistic to use the governor’s October budget,” said Bill Gilbreth. “If you don’t really look at what is likely to be, you’re likely to make the wrong decision.” Gilbreth pointed to that opinion as why he did not support Measure P in the most recent election. The measure proposed a seven-year tax of $89 per parcel in the OUSD boundaries.
Pusatere said that the district was awaiting an update from the state sometime next month, which is why some of the estimates are unknown.
“If you don’t cut salaries, you’re not showing the public that you’re taking honest cuts,” said Ron Wilson. “I think overall your service is outstanding, but it’s a very, very difficult process for the public to understand.”
“I can appreciate what Bill and Mr. Wilson have to say because we know this is dire,” said Kathleen Smith, “but we have to look at everything.”
“What’s upsetting me is that my kindergartner is not going to get the same education that I received,” said parent Marianne Ratcliff. “Ojai should be ashamed of itself for not passing the parcel tax. Mr. Gilbreth’s letter to the editor made me angry and I wasn’t angry tonight until I just heard it again. I’m dedicated to raising the $7,000 to put another parcel tax on the ballot and swaying Mr. Gilbreth to write another letter to the editor encouraging support.”
“I appreciate your efforts and that you are continuing to work on this,” district employee Chuck Crawford told the board. “I understand categorical funding, but it’s hard to explain that to someone who’s just lost their job.”
Meiners Oaks teacher John Hook boiled down the emotions associated with the meeting. “What is going to happen to the children, with no support services for students who are struggling?” he asked. “We need to realize what we’ll be losing in human terms.”
“And as we shed employees, it impacts the economy here,” said vice president Smith.
“As a union, I think it’s time to put our differences aside and work together in these difficult times,” said Martha Ditchfield, president of the Ojai Federation of Teachers .
“In January, we will find out about our midyear cuts,” said Taylor. “On Jan. 13, we’ll have a continuation of our budget discussion and have more specific numbers. School funding is very complicated with all its categoricals and how it’s spent and how we need to get loans every year because we don’t get the money we’re supposed to. I appreciate people who keep coming to these meetings.”
“I want to thank John Hook and those people who talked about the faces of our employees,” said Horne. “All of these people represent our students and that’s why we’re all here. The thought of obliterating the school district that my daughter still attends is devastating.”