Gary Thomas, Ed.D. County Superintendent

Superintendent's Message

State Budget Outlook Still Poor For Schools

There will be no relief from the poor economic conditions that have plagued much of the nation and especially California in recent times. That was evident following Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget proposal for the upcoming 2010-11 fiscal year. For public schools, the outlook remains bleak.

With the state showing a mid-year budget shortfall of approximately $7 billion, the situation gets even worse as we look ahead to 2010-11. In our next fiscal year, the state budget deficit is projected to be around $20 billion. Although Gov. Schwarzenegger claimed in his State of the State address that he wanted to protect schools, his budget proposal fails to back up his words.

Public schools are proposed to take a $1.7-billion hit, the majority of which is proposed to come from revenue limit funding that our schools and districts receive on a per-pupil basis. Countywide, this would be about $300 per student reduction for the next fiscal year.

In addition to the reduction, the governor's state budget proposal relies on nearly $7 billion of aid coming from the federal government. Many analysts have portrayed those projections as unrealistic. Without those federal funds, there stands to be another fiscal hole in the budget that will have to be addressed.

Of course, public schools in California already have suffered some $17 billion in cuts during the past two years. Buoyed by federal stimulus funds last year, San Bernardino County districts were able to withstand most of the state cuts, but those one-time funds from the federal government are now largely gone.

Already, we're seeing districts being proactive in terms of proposing cuts they feel they will have to make to balance their future budgets. Redlands Unified's Board of Education approved $11.68 million in cuts earlier in January. Chaffey Joint Union High School District has estimated it needs to cut $11 million from its budget for 2010-11 based on the current budget assumptions. In the High Desert, Hesperia Unified is estimating it will face an $8-million deficit for its next fiscal year.

The point is that no matter where one goes around our county - or around the state, for that matter - the stories are going to be the same: schools and districts face severe budget situations. For the 420,000 students in the county, they face the prospects of having more crowded classrooms, reduced programs like in the arts and athletics, and fewer services like tutoring and counseling.

These will also be dire times for certificated and classified staff. More than 80 percent of district budgets are tied to employees' salaries and benefits. With districts being forced to cut millions of dollars from their budgets, boards face the painful dilemma of reducing staff.

Remarkably, despite budget reductions the past two years, countywide growth in Academic Performance Index (API) scores have improved 32 points. Still, there are tremendous challenges in our schools from high dropout/low graduation rates to closing persistent access and achievement gaps. These come with student populations of more than 251,000 students who receive free and reduced lunches at our county schools, as well as more than 91,000 English Learners. There is no doubt that these students who face the most challenges also will be the ones hurt the most from any reductions to their schools' budgets.

As has been stated previously, unless California develops stable funding for its schools, the consequences of these draconian cuts will have long-term effects on our students. They are the ones who will fuel our future economy. If we cannot give them the tools they need to compete in the global workplace, our state will continue to suffer serious economic consequences.