Moraga School District Board Approves Cutbacks Amidst Uncertain Funding Future

Moraga School District Superintendent Bruce Burns intoned the words no one wanted to hear during Tuesday's meeting of the Moraga School District board.

“We’re facing unprecedented budget planning. We are facing unprecedented cuts," Burns said. "All employee groups are paying part or all of their health care benefits and some are taking furlough days. The Moraga School District is spending more than it is receiving."

Burns tried to prepare the board for discussion of the recommended cuts, but no matter how he phrased the message things came out sounding dire.

“We must plan for two outcomes: Either a loss of $350 per student or a loss of $650 per student," Burns said. "Due to the formidable cuts made over the last two to three years, it’s becoming difficult to keep cuts from the classroom.”

Burns used the analogy of an adjustable-rate mortgage to frame the conversation, saying that the district is responsible for maintaining a student’s educational home.

"It’s like an ARM and we don’t know what the payment needs to be," he said.

The reason for the shifting sands is continuing disarray in Sacramento. While Governor Brown promised to spare K-12 funding, his budgetary projections are predicated on taxes being extended – which now may not even make it to a June ballot.

Should those taxes not be on the ballot, or should the ballot measure fail, cuts will be harsher than projected in an earlier presentation by Burns in February. Educational experts are now suggesting that should the extension of taxes not occur, or not pass, Prop 98 may also be suspended.

Add to this the fact the board is legally required to approve notification by March 15 to certificated staff. That typically means administrators and teachers. While the cuts may not be enacted – if the June ballot measure occurs and if it passes -- the district must plan and legally notify any potentially affected employee.

In Moraga, Burns will personally deliver notifications.

The board Tuesday approved notifying both physical education teachers and one behavioral specialist of potential layoffs. In addition, the board approved ending the Kids Connect program, built to help kids who may need some social skill development. The district office will reduce a part-time administrative assistant, reduce home and hospital care - which provides schooling to children with illness or injury that prevents them from attending school. Kindergarten teachers will no longer have substitutes to cover the main class while they assess students, nor will the district budget pay for the supplies used for assessment. Finally, the technology group will no longer employ a part-time student over the summer.

The one change made to the recommended cuts came after a statement on the value and impact of technology training for children from Lisa Hillhouse. Technology coordinators – those who teach the children how to use the computer and its software -- were to be cut by half, but after agreeing that technology was part of the core curriculum, the district cut the supply budget to reinstate technology coordinators back to current levels.

Financial Officer Kathy Bell also provided a second interim report on the financial health of the district Tuesday.

“We’re getting information on a daily basis,” she cautioned.

Three scenarios exist for planning purposes, with the district focusing on two. Bell walked the board through the financial projections of a loss of $350 per student and $650 per student.

Under the scenarios, the district’s reserves will be used to offset the loss of revenue. Under the greater loss of revenue, the cuts approved by the board will also be enacted.

On a positive note, Bell pointed out that the monies reserved for mid-year budget cuts weren’t required, so are available to help with the reserve spending. In addition, the district received an additional $110,925 in funds due to an increase in enrollment.

“Community support is always important to the quality of our programs," she said. "We have a strong ending balance in our reserves. We are fortunate to fall on those in tough times."

Bell said she was keeping a close eye on economic indicators, April tax receipts and was engaged in controlled deficit spending.

Also at Tuesday's meeting, Dr. Brad Senden of the Center for Community Opinion spoke about how his firm will assess the viability of a parcel tax. The goal is to garner 400 interviews in a random sample of voters.

“A survey helps gauge mood, perception of district, support for the tax proposal in general, impact of information and community tax tolerance,” Senden said. “The results allow the district to target voter contact and refine a communication strategy.”

Tuesday's meeting ended with a note that any election prior to June 2012 affects the tax rolls starting July 2012. With the uncertainty of the June ballot, it’s unclear when polling in Moraga will begin.

The board also discussed the anti-bullying policy with a very careful eye to policy language based on input from last month’s meeting. This is first time the district has worked toward adopting a formal anti-bullying policy.