Moraga Schools: Bracing for Cuts?

The rollercoaster ride of "will we have school funding, or won't we have it?" continues for Moraga schools, it seems.

“'Flat funding’ for the schools isn’t entirely accurate,” said Moraga School Superintendent Bruce Burns.  “We’ve had three years of cuts in funding from the state, so it’s flat at the level of the cuts.”

What does that mean? The district, along with all districts in the state, is awaiting news from Sacramento about state revenues. Should revenues not meet expectations, cuts to public schools trigger automatically.

Lawmakers don’t have a clear plan about how to enact those cuts. One idea floated in Sacramento was to shorten the school year to 168 days.

“We will not have a shortened school year here in Moraga,” said Burns. “We’re prepared to weather this storm, but we’re deficit spending.”

Other districts are also unlikely to cut the year, as the teacher’s union doesn’t give credit for a year of service unless the teacher teaches for a 170-day year.

While the numbers are fluid, the current estimate is a cut of about $250/student expected to occur in the middle of the school year. With the district already spending down its reserves, and costs rising, Burns notes that private funding continues to be critical in Moraga and other districts.

“In Moraga, private fundraising now totals 29 percent of our district budget," he said. "That includes Measure K funds, donations from the Moraga Education Foundation and the Parent-Teacher Associations."