Moraga Superintendent to Discuss Continuing Budget Uncertainty

Bruce Burns, superintendent of the Moraga school district, and Deborah Roden, principal of Camino Pablo School, will present the potential changes the district may see based on funding from Sacramento on Monday, March 21 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Camino Pablo multi-use room.

The presentation covers what happens under several potential state budget scenarios. Governor Brown promised to protect funding for California’s public education, but that promise may not be realized. The funding requires state voters to approve extending taxes on a June ballot. As of now, the ballot measure has not yet been placed on the budget.

If the tax extensions don’t make it onto the ballot, or don’t pass, the results will be devastating for many districts. In Moraga, due to prudent fiscal management, the district has reserves from which it will draw. However, deficit spending, which the district did this year as well, won’t cover the full extent of potential cuts.

Two scenarios that Burns will discuss:

• Loss of $350 per student to be covered by district reserves. This allows the district to maintain current staffing and programs.
• Loss of $650 per student to be covered by $350,000 of program and staffing cut backs as well as using one third of existing district reserves.

Under the best scenario, the district maintains its current programs. But given the cumulative loss of $4.4 million from the district budget over the past three school budgeting years, the potential for further cuts is worrisome.

Nonetheless, Burns, in a recent MSD School News update, states that “even in these uncertain times, the goal of providing a quality education for our students remains a driving force.”