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OUSD officials look at ways to trim budget
By: STACY BRANDT - Staff Writer
School district could face $8.8 shortfall next year | ∞
OCEANSIDE ---- Officials with Oceanside Unified School District will have to cut an estimated $8.8 million from what the district had planned to spend next year, which could require significant hits to school programs and staffing, administrators said Tuesday.
"This is going to change the face of education at OUSD," school board President Janet Bledsoe Lacy said.
In order to balance the next budget, trustees could consider laying off employees, cutting hours, halting busing, canceling educational programs, closing schools or increasing class sizes, said Robyn Phillips, associate superintendent in charge of business services for the district.
As much as district officials have said they want to avoid laying off teachers or trimming classroom funding, Phillips said some of those cuts will be necessary. Roughly 85 percent of the district's budget goes to paying for salaries and health benefits.
"We can't cut $8.8 million without losing some staff," Phillips said. "We're going to have to look at changes that might affect the classroom."
The discussion was part of a special meeting the district held Tuesday to address the grim budget proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last month. The district has been quick to act on the budget concerns, already laying off 15 temporary teachers and planning at least two more meetings to discuss other possible cuts.
Oceanside Unified is not alone with its budget woes. Educators across the state have said they will have to hack millions of dollars from their annual budgets because of the budget proposal, which calls for across-the-board cuts to most state agencies as a way to deal with an estimated $14.5 billion shortfall.
A $4.4 million reduction in state funding compared to last year ---- and $4.4 million increase in projected expenses ---- is expected to cause the $8.8 million shortfall to Oceanside Unified's roughly $175 million budget, Phillips said.
"Not only will we have less money next year, our expenses will go up," she said. "We've gone past the denial stage and the anger stage. ... We're now in the weeping stage."
In addition to cuts to next year's funding, district officials expect to get roughly $560,000 less than expected in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Midyear cuts and money from the district's savings should cover that difference, Phillips said.
The situation could end up even worse than it looks now if the state deficit grows or fewer students enroll next year, Superintendent Larry Perondi said.
"I don't think we have seen the bottom of the trough yet," he said.
Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 901-4009 or sbrandt@nctimes.com.
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Jean wrote on Feb 5, 2008 10:58 PM:Instead of cutting teachers,support staff, busing, etc.start by cutting the overpaid administrators and their expenses at the district level. Too many chiefs and not enough indians.
Just Wondering wrote on Feb 6, 2008 12:31 AM: Which administrator would you like to cut, and who would then do their job.
Smithmamaof4 wrote on Feb 6, 2008 6:06 AM:I dont know what they should cut or not cut, but I do know that I am worried for my children who will be starting kindergarten in 2009. There has to be some way to fix this. All I can do is pray and let God handle it. When is the election for a new Governor?
The one that need to go wrote on Feb 6, 2008 7:03 AM:The ones that need to go first are the back office administrators.
Think About It wrote on Feb 6, 2008 7:50 AM:Does the OSUSD superintendent get a car allowance like the other superintendents get. If class size goes up; teachers deserve to be compensated because they would have more responsibility of educating more children with less time to do it. We all know that will not happpen. We do need to focus on the Gov. because he is in charge of the fiscal budget and he did not see this coming, give me a break.
To just wondering` wrote on Feb 6, 2008 10:19 AM:Well the district has many "consultants" making 100k+ a year, get rid of them.
Also Wondering wrote on Feb 6, 2008 10:30 AM:If Superintendent Larry Perondi, salary $223,000 (NCT 7/15/07), was cut from the list of overpaid administrators, where would the remaining $8.6 million come from? If all of the district's administrators were cut that would still not cover the $8.8 million short fall. Now who should be cut? Then there is the concern of having all Indians and no chiefs. I also wonder what some people use for brains.
To Smithmamaof4 wrote on Feb 6, 2008 10:47 AM:Want some advice from someone with kids in high school? The only solution that will have any positive effect on your childrens education is this ... GO PRIVATE!!!!!
Greg in Oceanside wrote on Feb 6, 2008 11:56 AM:This budget crisis doesn't bode well for the hard-working, taxpaying US citizens and their school-aged children. Like many Americans I'm doing my part and pay enough in taxes, and feel there are those who are living off the rest of us. While there may be some 'administrators' that may be excess workforce, this isn't the real problem and schools are operating on a thin budget as it is. The majority of the cuts should be focused elsewhere. Let's start by cutting all the free-bees that have been going on too long. Take the 'free' meals offered to low-income students for one example. I�m very skeptical on who qualifies as 'low income' and I�m fairly confident that this is being abused, especially by illegal aliens. Then there�s the matter of non-taxpaying, illegal aliens and/or their children whose education is being paid for by the taxpayers. Aside from education, illegal aliens (and/or their children) are getting social welfare, free medical care, and free use of our roads and infrastructure. ...
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