Drastic Budget Cuts for New Haven Unified
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NEW HAVEN UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION BRIEFS
Forced because of the ongoing state financial crisis to make another
round of drastic budget cuts, the Board of Education on Tuesday night
accepted a recommendation that will save – for only one year, unless a
new revenue stream is identified – the co-curricular and
extra-curricular activities that are so vital to the New Haven
community.
The Board approved staff recommendations totaling $3.6 million in new
reductions for 2010-11, on top of $1.6 million in reductions previously
approved for next year. As a result, class sizes will be larger in
kindergarten through third grade in 2010-11, and the District no longer
will offer transportation for elementary and middle school students.
The Board also approved reductions that provide the state-mandated
starting point for balancing the 2011-12 and 2012-13 budgets.
Eliminating stipends and release periods for co-curricular and
extra-curricular activities was on a list of proposed cuts for 2010-11
presented to the Board at its Feb. 16 meeting. It would have impacted
all athletic teams at James Logan High School –as well as the
school's nationally known marching band, color guard and forensics
team, among other programs – and co-curricular and extra-curricular
activities at other District schools.
Instead, the Board approved a recommendation to eliminate four
assistant principal positions at the elementary schools, a reduction
previously forecast for 2011-12. It means that, starting in 2010-11,
there no longer will be assistant principals at Alvarado, Eastin,
Emanuele and Pioneer elementary schools. The District's three smaller
elementary schools – Hillview Crest, Kitayama and Searles – have
been without assistant principals for three years.
Addressing forecasts that Gov. Schwarzenegger might call for an
additional $50-per-student funding reduction when he presents his
revised budget in May, the Board also accepted a recommendation that
would allow for raising class sizes in kindergarten through third grade
from 20-to-1 to as high as 30-to-1. No matter what happens in May,
ninth-grade classes will go from 20-to-1 to 30-to-1.
The Board approved issuing precautionary layoff notices to
approximately 70 teachers, but Superintendent Kari McVeigh emphasized
that the notices indeed are precautionary and that the number of K-3
positions actually eliminated will depend on the May revise.
The number of teachers actually laid off probably will be fewer than
50, Associate Superintendent for Personnel Derek McNamara said, because
of retirements and other attrition.
The Board also approved the elimination of home-to-school
transportation for kindergarten through eighth-grade students (high
school transportation was halted last year), including a reduction of
approximately 21 positions from the classified staff. Interim Chief
Business Officer Jim O'Connor said some of the positions could be
retained, pending the receipt of proposals to provide transportation for
the District's special education students.
Mr. O'Connor also noted that the 2010-11 budget would be even worse
were he not able to make a one-time transfer of $2.1 million in
mitigation fees to the general fund. And, under current projections,
$4.5 million in additional reductions will be necessary in 2011-12, he
said, meaning eliminating co-curricular and extra-curricular stipends
once again would be on the list.
The District also could be forced for 2011-12 to close an elementary
school and lay off two high school administrators and one of the two
assistant principals at each of the two middle schools. The District
also could be forced to adopt a three-day furlough for all employees and
sell the Educational Services Center, among other measures.
The recommendations approved Tuesday night do not account for the
approximately $230,000 needed to re-open Barnard-White Middle School.
The Board, which voted Feb. 2 to re-open the school and Feb. 9 to limit
the size of the school to 180 students in 2010-11, voted Tuesday night
to re-consider those decisions on March 16.
Also on Tuesday night, the Board:
● Approved the elimination of approximately 10 full-time equivalents
from the classified staff and work-year reductions for 17 other
employees, associated with the reorganization of the Special Education
and Food Service departments.
● Approved work-year reductions at the New Haven Adult School.
Rick La Plante
Public Information Officer
New Haven Unified School District
(510) 476-2610
FAX: (510) 471-7108
rlaplante@nhusd.k12.ca.us
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