How to resolve AdBlock issue? LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Continued reductions in educational funding are forcing the Konocti Unified School District’s board to begin the process of deciding how to cut millions of dollars in order to balance its coming year’s budget, a task that will involve considering the possible elimination of dozens of jobs.
The initial discussion on fiscal year 2012-13 budget cuts by the Konocti Unified School District Board of Trustees will take place during its regular meeting, which begins at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, in the Carol McClung Conference Center, 9430-B Lake St. in Lower Lake.
The item on “The KUSD Zero Based Model” will be discussed under budget and facilities items.
Marty Aarreberg, executive administrative assistant to district Superintendent Bill MacDougall, said no decision will be made at the Wednesday meeting, and that further discussion and a decision are expected at a special daylong budget session beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11. Aarreberg said all community members are welcome – and encouraged – to attend.
MacDougall, who was in meetings throughout Monday afternoon, did not return a message seeking comment on the Wednesday meeting and the proposal to cut services and jobs.
However, MacDougall and district Business Manager Laurie Desimone submitted an in-depth memorandum to the board of trustees, outlining the challenges the district is facing.
In a memo explaining the zero based model, the memo begins by stating, “The financial challenge with which we are faced is not one of the district’s choosing, nor have we created this problem. The current financial distress has been created as a result of the state and national economic circumstances and governmental decisions and given to us to resolve for our district.”
MacDougall’s and Desimone’s memo said that the four main budget issues the district must face are the complete elimination of state transportation funding; a mid-year trigger cut of $370 per student for average daily attendance, which exceeds $1 million for Konocti Unified; the exhaustion of federal jobs funds, a loss of $571,000; and an estimated $400,000 in step and column advancement and other bargaining agreement-associated costs for staffers.
Those four items total almost $2.8 million, which MacDougall and Desimone reported is more than 10 percent of the district general fund budget.
“Along with these unprecedented cuts, the Governor proposes the greatest budget flexibility seen in decades,” the memorandum said. “These changes if adopted by the legislature would pool nearly all state categorical funds into a single revenue stream for districts to utilize in the manner decided by the local district, without the ‘strings’ of the past program guidelines.”
The memo said the board directed district staff to develop a zero based budget model, which starts at zero and builds upward by prioritizing essential programs and personnel.
The message from MacDougall and Desimone to the board acknowledges that the decisions before trustees will have far reaching impacts on programs and staff.
“We want to be sure that we can give earliest notice possible to staff who may be laid off or will have their hours reduced,” they wrote. “We anticipate that action by the board on lay off notices will be made no later than the March 7th regular board meeting.”
The zero based model’s proposed staffing cuts are deep, according to an early version of the report released as part of the agenda packet.
Up for possible elimination are the Carlé Continuation High School principal’s job; eight to 10 kindergarten through third grade teaching positions; all K-8 librarians and the K-8 music teacher; three six-hour licensed vocational nurses; director of technology and student services; one truancy investigator or partial position at the Lake County Office of Education; all site bilingual paraprofessionals and bilingual family liaisons; a 1.5-hour clerk position and one eight-hour mechanic in the transportation department; a half-time education specialist at Lower Lake Elementary; a two-hour California High School Exit Examination paraprofessional at Carlé High; and a half-time contracted alternative education teacher.
Further, the plan proposes to cut one eight-hour librarian, three six-hour student management assistants, one seven-hour student management assistant and one two-hour site secretary at Highlands Academy, adding back one seven-hour site secretary.
At the high school, possible cuts include one ROP teacher, one 11-month high school secretary, one-eight hour librarian, one eight-hour career center clerk/site testing coordinator, one eight-hour high school campus supervisor, four periods of an in school school suspension teacher, two sections for the athletic director, 12 hours for a bilingual paraprofessional, one five-hour bilingual family liaison, junior varsity coaching stipends and two sections of the academy director.
The food services director’s salary would be cut by one month, and bus drivers, paraprofessionals and some other support positions would see their work year cut by five to six days.
Also on the list of possible eliminations are drama and band for K-8; seven to eight bus routes would be cut, with reduced hours for five to six other routes; the teacher in charge for Lewis School would no longer receive a stipend; and class size reductions for K-3 and the Community-Based English Tutoring program would end.
Blue Heron School, for grades nine through 11, is proposed to be reduced to a single session and moved to Burns Valley.
MacDougall and Desimone concluded their memo by writing, “Together we can make the tough decisions necessary and do what we must under these difficult circumstances to provide the highest quality education possible for our students.”
Management staff are set to meet on Tuesday to finalize their recommendations for the board's Wednesday meeting.
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