ESCONDIDO: Elementary district $3M shy of budget-cutting goal

Cuts dig deeper into programs, more difficult to make, trustees say

By SHAYNA CHABNER - Staff Writer | Thursday, April 3, 2008 9:46 PM PDT ∞

L.R. Green kindergarten teacher Patti Kamholz instructs her students on Wednesday.

ESCONDIDO ---- After weeks of budget discussions and dozens of proposals to cut costs by trimming staff and centralizing services, the Escondido Union School District is still more than $3 million short of the $14.4 million it needs to cut from next year's expenditures, official said Thursday.

The news came shortly after trustees ended a more than two-hour meeting where they voted individually on three dozen different district-proposed reductions, saying what they could absolutely not support and what should be included in a worst-case scenario for the district.

"I will have to think of more places to cut," Superintendent Jennifer Walters said after the meeting Thursday. "There is no doubt that in order to meet multiyear budget obligations and be fiscally solvent, we will have to make more reductions."

The total projected budget for the district for the 2008-09 school year is $145.2 million.

Among the programs and services on the list of possible money-saving solutions were increasing the number of students in kindergarten classrooms to 30 per teacher, reducing the work year, and eliminating some assistant principal, counselor and library technician positions.

On several occasions, including during the discussion about middle school assistant principals, the board ruled out the most severe suggestions, choosing instead cuts they said would produce savings but not dig as deep into programs and classrooms.

For assistant principals, for instance, that resulted in trustees choosing the proposal where 10 assistant principals would be left on campuses, rather than the leaner option of having just one per middle school.

They also chose to limit the cuts for library technicians to a reduction in daily hours from eight to six, with the hopes that they might be able to restore those hours with funding from the districts' reserves or cuts elsewhere.

The district has about $17.7 million built up in reserves, which district officials said could be used as a one-time fund to reduce the effects of cuts to critical programs and the classroom next year.

"(These cuts) are not in the best interest of our children," Trustee Joan Gardner said, emphasizing her empathy and respect for teachers, library technicians and other district employees in the audience. "But we can't spend money that we don't have."

Escondido Union, like many districts in the state, is facing a multimillion-dollar deficit for the coming school year as a result of proposed state budget cuts, declining enrollment and increases in the cost of insurance, salaries and special education.

The reductions that trustees agreed to consider Thursday are just some of the ways that the district is considering to narrow that financial shortfall.

The latest estimate by district officials is that they will have about $12.2 million less in unrestricted and $2.2 million less in restricted funds next year. Unrestricted funding is largely based on the money districts receive for student attendance and it can be used as the districts choose. Restricted funds are designated for specific programs and areas.

The proposed cuts would chip away about $9.2 million on the unrestricted side and $3.7 million on the restricted side. Savings on the restricted side would be used to free up dollars for individual schools and do not limit the overall drain on the budget, district officials said.

The district is still waiting to see how several proposals that are still be negotiated with the teachers union will affect the deficit. They have proposed freezing a 2 percent salary increase for teachers and reducing the work year for teaching, managing and nonteaching staff.

"We remain hopeful that there will be some movement in that direction," Trustee Royce Moore said.

Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com.

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30 comment(s)[-]Go to Top

no free lunch wrote on Apr 4, 2008 5:56 AM:If I see money spent on summer free lunches, I'm going to scream.

Marie-Anne wrote on Apr 4, 2008 6:13 AM:We should save them by passing a few more bond measures, build more schools, hire more administrators who can select committees who can then hire consultants who can then tell us they're broke and we can do it all over again in 5 years.

Simple let wrote on Apr 4, 2008 6:25 AM:more teachers go. If you have over crowded class rooms than the teachers union needs to address the issue of children of illegals attending school. Sorry but the problem belongs with the teachers union. Deal with it.

Marie-Anne wrote on Apr 4, 2008 6:37 AM:I almost forgot. What about YOUR California Lotto? Didn't YOU pass that state sanctioned gambling measure to FUND and SAVE the schools?

Teacher wrote on Apr 4, 2008 7:05 AM:"Simple let" shows his ignorance criticizing teachers' unions when everybody knows it's a FEDERAL LAW that all school have to educate illegal aliens!
I don't like it either, but put the blame where it belongs!

I agree with "no free lunch." We should also start cutting back on free breakfast & lunch during the regular school year since there is a lot of abuse there. However, as with educating illegal aliens, the food programs are mostly paid for by Federal funds.


Do the math wrote on Apr 4, 2008 7:18 AM:you don't have enough money. In this case do we keep the unions or the teachers? Well lets examine it shall we, the unions take the teachers money, the unions are there to stay, the teachers on the other hand are expendable, so who goes?

Karl wrote on Apr 4, 2008 7:19 AM:The teachers union could divert the money they spend on political contributions directly to the classroom. I wonder how much money that is?

I am sorry the wrote on Apr 4, 2008 7:20 AM:teachers unions can't tell their memebers to write to the Feds to change the existing laws, stupid me.

If we don't have the money wrote on Apr 4, 2008 7:36 AM:If we don't have the money, why aren't we, as a nation, asking for citizenship for people in our classrooms, instead of the other way around? Shouldn't our kids come first? Their quality of education? It doesn't make sense. Have the liberals and the PC crowd really taken that much control?

I know the schools wrote on Apr 4, 2008 7:49 AM:can have bake sales! Oh yeah, I forgot the PC crowd outlawed that. Oh well I tried. The one good thing about this is that as the baby boomers age, they will be able to get jobs before the so called California public ed students will be able to. After all you need someone able to make change when the electricity goes out on the cash resigisters.

to teacher wrote on Apr 4, 2008 7:55 AM:Yes, federal courts have determined that illegal immigrants can not be refused attendance at public schools. But no court or law prevents the school officials from turning that student into ICE for them to deport. We can not and should not provide jobs, schools, public assistance, etc to illegal immigrants.

Now a days wrote on Apr 4, 2008 7:57 AM:a teaching degree and thirty five cents will get you a copy of the North County Times.

Haven't heard wrote on Apr 4, 2008 8:35 AM:the Superintendant and staff cutting their salaries or personnel. Haven't heard making sure those that get free meals are eligible. Haven't heard checking on immigration status of parents. Haven't heard a review of "perks" she receives. Haven't heard of looking at benefits and co pays of employees. These are all things real managers do. Next will be scare tactics so they won't have to cut anything. Once again, Vouchers are the only answer to get the incompetance out of our educational system.

teachers wrote on Apr 4, 2008 8:45 AM:should not take pay cuts. they already cannot afford to rent an apartment and fill up their tank of gas. I know everyone is struggling but five plus years of college to make forty grand?

If the Unions and School wrote on Apr 4, 2008 9:12 AM:Districts can't figure out how to get rid of non American students, then you are to dumb to be requesting more money.

I Wonder wrote on Apr 4, 2008 9:21 AM:To all of those who are so quick to judge. It is coming down from the State, the Governor. I agree with the illegal situation and we do have to take a stand. Remember it is these children who will will taking care of you in the future. There education is important. " I wonder" if we would quit supporting the illegals in free food, free medical, free jobs, free taxes, etc. Perhaps our state would have money to spend on the children that our here to make a difference. Every persons voice can be heard. Please make yours count!

Escondeeter wrote on Apr 4, 2008 9:25 AM:Let's see...

Salaries of unnecessary adminstrators, 1.5 million. Furniture for the offices of unnecessary administrators, 1.0 million. Travel expenses to send unnecessary administrators and executives to 'teaching' seminars in exotic locations, .5 million.

There ya go, no need to say thanks.

Combine wrote on Apr 4, 2008 9:58 AM:the elementary and high school districts together. You could then eliminate one entire administration including facilities.

To Teachers wrote on Apr 4, 2008 10:09 AM:They chose their occupation. No one forced them into teaching. Not our problem

Karl wrote on Apr 4, 2008 10:32 AM:"Escondeeter" If your plan and mine were implemented the schools would have a surplus.

To Karl wrote on Apr 4, 2008 10:52 AM:Union dues are roughly $100 a month per teacher. That is a bunch of money, going to what? I don't know.

Why doesn't this wrote on Apr 4, 2008 11:06 AM:suprise me? Are we to believe we have no corruprion in our school districts? Is this what they want us to believe?

Chubton wrote on Apr 4, 2008 11:20 AM:I couldn't care less about the education level of the general public. I can afford to have a private tutor and will continue to do so.
I'm looking forward to seeing social Darwinism keep the general public where they belong.
Besides everything you need to know is in the NCT or on TV.

january wrote on Apr 4, 2008 6:31 PM:let the TEACHERS run the schools .Get rid of the money wasting administrators.
ALL in the BEST INTEREST of the CHILDREN.Stop spending so much money on children who dont speak english.RAISE the education tax! Sell the Arts Center and give the money to the teachers.
works for me ! :)

Reardon wrote on Apr 5, 2008 10:29 AM:If every student in the district approached their parents, and asked their own parents -- who appropriately have the most to gain -- to sign over the parent’s $1,200 "FREE" money from the government in May, the District would have a surplus and the federal government would have funded it. Come on students -- have your parents step up. It was "found money" anyway, it is not in their bank account and not in their budget! We will see how much the parents support their own children's education.

WHY? wrote on Apr 5, 2008 1:01 PM:why won't NCT post my comment?

WOULD LIKE TO SEE wrote on Apr 5, 2008 6:36 PM:YES NCT WHY WON'T YOU PRINT WHY'S COMMENT?

To: To Teachers wrote on Apr 5, 2008 7:57 PM:It will quickly become our problem as more and more of them leave the profession, and fewer and fewer people become teachers.

Reardon wrote on Apr 5, 2008 8:31 PM:Not to worry -- California teachers are paid best in the United States; but our students rank 48th. Something is wrong here.

To Reardon wrote on Apr 6, 2008 10:05 AM:I like the idea in your 04/05/08 10:29 post.

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